22 Chinese ships pass through Yemen’s blockade bound for Saudi Arabia

The maritime data analytics company “Windward” reported that 22 vessels flying the flag of or owned by China crossed the Bab el-Mandeb Strait between July 20 and August 2 (over the past 14 days) and docked at ports in Saudi Arabia without any incident.

Based on the analysis by the aforementioned company, at least eight oil tankers associated with Saudi Arabia were forced to change their route toward the Bab el-Mandeb during this period and returned to their ports of origin.

A Lloyd’s list analyst says that Chinese ships have access to relatively safe passage in waters under Yemen’s control.