Middle East turmoil is redrawing global oil routes in Africa’s favour, sending more vessels around the Cape of Good Hope and strengthening the continent’s ports and maritime service centres, a shift now reinforced by Saudi crude tankers bound for India and China making U-turns in the Red Sea following Yemen’s Houthi warning.
African ports gain as Saudi oil tankers bound for India and China make Red Sea U-turns after Yemen’s Houthi warning
- Three Saudi oil tankers reversed course in the Red Sea, opting for a longer route around Africa after Houthi warnings against using Saudi ports.
- The Houthi movement declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia, threatening ships involved in Saudi oil trade and increasing regional shipping risks.
- Tankers are now required to sail north towards the Suez Canal and around the Cape of Good Hope, adding up to four weeks to delivery times and increasing operating costs.
- This situation underscores Africa’s rising importance in global oil logistics as Middle Eastern maritime chokepoints face ongoing instability and disruption.
The Xin Long Yang, Rodos and Amazon turned north towards Egypt’s Suez Canal on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, instead of continuing south past Yemen through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
The change places the vessels on a longer journey through the Mediterranean and around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope before reaching Asia.
The Iran-aligned Houthis warned shipping companies against loading or discharging cargo at Saudi Arabian ports, saying vessels involved in such operations risked being targeted “in any location”.
It also declared what it described as a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia, increasing pressure on a shipping corridor already affected by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
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The Xin Long Yang loaded about two million barrels of Saudi crude at the Red Sea port of Yanbu, while the smaller Rodos carried about 700,000 barrels destined for India.
Meanwhile, the New Prime turned back near Oman before entering the Red Sea to load at Yanbu, Saudi Arabia’s main alternative oil outlet following disruption in the Strait of Hormuz.
Saudi Arabia transports crude from its eastern oilfields to the Red Sea through the East-West pipeline, allowing its exports to avoid the Gulf shipping route.
However, the Houthi warning has now placed pressure on both routes used to move Middle Eastern oil to international markets.
Tankers avoiding the Yemeni coast must sail north through Suez, cross the Mediterranean and travel around the Cape of Good Hope before continuing towards China and India.
Consequently, the diversion can add up to four weeks to some journeys and raise fuel, insurance and chartering costs, while increasing business for African ports and maritime service providers.
About three million barrels per day of Saudi crude could be redirected around Africa if the disruption continues.
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Tankers are now required to sail north towards the Suez Canal and around the Cape of Good Hope, adding up to four weeks to delivery times and increasing operating costsBusiness Insider USA
The blockade announcement followed a renewed military confrontation between the Houthis and Saudi-backed forces in Yemen.
The Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of bombing the runway at Sanaa International Airport on July 13.
However, Yemen’s internationally recognised government, which Saudi Arabia supports, said its forces targeted the runway to prevent an Iranian aircraft from landing, although Riyadh did not claim direct responsibility for the strike.
In response, the Houthis fired missiles towards southern Saudi Arabia, ending several years of relative calm, but Saudi air defences intercepted them.
The Saudi-led coalition warned that it would respond firmly to the naval blockade and introduced measures to protect ships passing through Bab el-Mandeb.
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The disruption has worked to the advantage of African ports, including Walvis Bay and Lüderitz in Namibia, Port Louis in Mauritius, Tanger Med in Morocco, Tema in Ghana, and Cape Town and Durban in South Africa, as shipping companies avoid conflict zones in the Middle East.
Fuel suppliers have expanded operations at several of these ports to serve vessels taking the longer route around the Cape of Good Hope.
South Africasits directly along the diversion route, but congestion, regulatory hurdles and limited refuelling capacity have pushed some shipping companies towards Namibia and Mauritius.
Egypt is also regaining strategic importance as tankers turn towards the Suez Canal.
The canal is one of the country’s main2022/23 financial year before earlier Houthi attacks reduced traffic and revenue
The latest diversions are also restoring the importance of Egypt’s SUMED pipeline, which allows oil to move between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean.
The latest shift follows the pattern established during the Red Sea shipping crisis that began in late 2023.
During the first five months of 2024, crude oil and petroleum products transported around the Cape of Good Hope rose to about 8.7 million barrels per day, from 5.9 million barrels per day in 2023.
The increase created more business for African refuelling and maritime service companies but also exposed weaknesses in port infrastructure, fuel storage and vessel turnaround times.
Maersk, one of the world’s largest shipping companies, considered ports in Mauritius and Namibia after facing refuelling and operational challenges in South Africa.
The current rerouting may encourage African governments to expand port capacity, improve fuel storage and customs systems, and invest in ship-repair facilities.
