Houthi attacks threaten to cut off Saudi Arabia’s oil lifeline
Asian refiners may wait an extra month for crude as tankers abandon the route through Bab al-Mandab
Source: Financial Times
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DW NOTE
The Bab al-Mandab is a secondary problem. The Strait of Hormuz has been effectively closed since February 27 — that's where 21% of global oil moves on a normal day. Saudi Arabia is already routing crude around Africa because the primary chokepoint is shut, not because Houthis made Bab al-Mandab inconvenient. Asian refiners aren't waiting an extra month for shipments; they're rebuilding supply chains around a strait that a ceasefire was supposed to reopen in June but didn't.