Reuters says that if Saudi Arabia wants to bypass Houthi attacks in the Bab al-Mandab by rerouting exports of oil to Asia, the cost and time of transporting the shipments would more than double

Reuters says that if Saudi Arabia wants to bypass Houthi attacks in the Bab al-Mandab, to reroute the route for exporting oil to Asia through the African continent, the cost and time of transporting the cargoes will be more than doubled.

The report adds that, for example, the time needed to ship Saudi oil from the Bab al-Mandab to Taiwan is about 19 days, but if it wants to deliver oil shipments to Taiwan by passing through the Suez Canal, the Mediterranean Sea, the Strait of Gibraltar, and bypassing the African continent, the shipping time increases to 48 days.

In that case, the only cost of the fuel for an oil tanker to reach Taiwan would increase from $1.26 million to $2.87 million, and in addition to the increased cost of chartering the oil tanker, it would also need to pay $1 million in transit fees for the Suez Canal.