Saudi Crude Tanker Goes Dark to Slip Through Bab el-Mandeb
At least one oil tanker carrying Saudi crude oil has transited the Bab al-Mandeb Strait with its transponder switched off as risks to vessels in the Red Sea spiked this week after the Houthis announced a blockade on Saudi shipments and targeted vessels offshore Yemen. The Merbabu tanker, owned by a
Source: OilPrice.com
―
DW NOTE
Turning off your transponder to sneak crude through a choke point is standard procedure now. The Houthis have been shooting at tankers for 20 months — this isn't evasion, it's cost of doing business in a strait where insurance won't cover you and navies won't protect you.