# Saudi Oil Exports Go ‘Dark’ as Houthi Threat Disrupts Red Sea Shipments
**DUBAI:** Saudi Arabia’s crude oil exports from the Red Sea are increasingly becoming difficult to track as tankers switch off their automatic identification system (AIS) signals to avoid potential attacks by Yemen’s Houthis, creating uncertainty over the scale of disruption to Saudi oil flows.
Analysts said recent crude loadings from **Yanbu** have largely been conducted without active tracking signals, making it difficult for traders and international energy agencies to accurately assess Saudi export volumes.
The Houthis declared a maritime embargo on Saudi Arabia on July 20, targeting the kingdom as part of their broader confrontation involving the United States and its allies in the Gulf conflict. The group has since claimed attacks on Saudi-linked tankers, oil facilities in Yanbu and the Jazan refinery.
The heightened security threat has prompted vessels to switch off their tracking systems while passing through high-risk areas, resulting in significant differences among shipping data providers.
For the week beginning August 3, **Vortexa** estimated Yanbu loadings at around **2.38 million barrels per day (bpd)**, down from 2.71m bpd a week earlier. **Kpler** estimated a much sharper decline to **1.78m bpd**, compared with 4.04m bpd the previous week, while **AXSMarine** estimated loadings at around **850,000 bpd**, up from approximately 420,000 bpd.
The conflicting estimates reflect the growing difficulty of monitoring Saudi shipments. Analysts are relying on satellite data and tracking vessels after they reappear on monitoring systems once they have passed through high-risk areas.
According to analysts from Vortexa and Kpler, recent Yanbu cargoes were loaded without active AIS tracking. Around **70% of Saudi Arabia’s west coast shipments have lacked continuous AIS coverage since July 23**, further complicating efforts to determine actual export volumes.
### Bab al-Mandeb Traffic Falls
Houthi attacks have also reduced shipping activity through the strategically important **Bab al-Mandeb Strait**, with vessel traffic reportedly falling to around **32 vessels from 50**.
In response, Saudi Arabia is increasingly rerouting crude shipments through alternative routes, including the **Suez Canal and Egypt’s SUMED pipeline**.
Sidi Kerir loadings have reached a record **2.17 million bpd**, with around **90% of the crude originating from Saudi Arabia**, highlighting the kingdom’s growing reliance on alternative export routes.
### US-Iran Tensions Add to Market Uncertainty
Meanwhile, tensions between **Iran and the United States** remain high as efforts to establish a permanent end to the Gulf conflict continue to face obstacles.
An Iranian senior official said there had been no discussions on extending the ceasefire, arguing that the existing arrangement did not have a clearly defined start date.
According to the official, mediators are discussing the possibility of returning to an interim agreement and establishing a specific timeframe, but “absolutely no progress” has been made so far.
Both Washington and Tehran have intensified their rhetoric in recent days.
US President **Donald Trump** has claimed that the United States has “total control” over the **Strait of Hormuz**, while Iranian security official **Mohsen Rezaei** said the strategic waterway would remain closed unless Washington accepted Iran’s conditions for ending the conflict.
The developments are adding further uncertainty to global oil markets, particularly as disruptions around both the **Red Sea and Strait of Hormuz** threaten some of the world’s most important energy shipping routes.
By Reuters
