Saudi Arabia said at the weekend that it had resumed all oil shipments through the strait of Bab al-Mandeb, at the entry to the Red Sea from the Gulf of Aden.
Saudi Arabia temporarily stopped moving oil through the strait on July 25th after alleged attacks on two oil tankers by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement.
The Saudi Energy Ministry said shipments had resumed on Saturday August 4th. “The decision to resume oil shipment through the strait of Bab al-Mandeb was made after the leadership of the coalition has taken necessary measures to protect the coalition states’ ships,” Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said. Saudi Aramco confirmed that shipping had resumed. “The company is careful to continue monitoring and evaluating the current situation in coordination with the relevant bodies and take all necessary procedures to ensure safety,” Aramco said.
After the Saudi decision to halt shipments, Yemen’s Houthi group said on July 31st it would halt attacks in the Red Sea for two weeks to support peace efforts.