Houthis Claim Ballistic Missile Strike on Saudi Oil Tanker in Red Sea
Key Takeaways
- •The Houthis said they targeted the Saudi-flagged products tanker NCC WAFA with several ballistic missiles north of the Red Sea off Yambu.
- •Windward said the tanker was last seen transmitting on July 19 and has been dark since that date.
- •Analysts at Windward suggested the vessel may have turned back north after the Houthi blockade announcement on July 22.
- •The Houthi spokesman said the group has targeted eight Saudi tankers since the blockade was announced two weeks ago.
- •Saudi Arabia has rerouted some exports toward Egypt and the Suez Canal, while some vessels are increasingly transiting the Bab el-Mandeb in dark mode.
The Iran-aligned Houthi group in Yemen on Wednesday claimed a “precise hit” on a Saudi oil tanker in the Red Sea, according to Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree.
“The Yemeni Armed Forces conducted a military operation targeting the Saudi oil tanker 'Wafaa' north of the Red Sea off the Yambu area using several ballistic missiles,” the Houthi statement said, as carried by Middle East news outlet Al Bawaba. Saree said the Houthis “achieved a precise hit.”
NCC WAFA is a Saudi-flagged products tanker. Maritime intelligence group Windward said the vessel was last seen transmitting on July 19, traveling southbound in the Red Sea toward the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The tanker has been dark since July 19.
According to Windward’s analysts, after the Houthis announced a blockade on July 22, WAFA likely turned around and headed back north through Saudi coastal waters, “where the missiles found her anyway, hundreds of kilometers from the declared blockade zone.”
Windward said the Houthi statement explicitly linked the strike to Saudi tankers rerouting north to avoid Bab el-Mandeb and vowed escalation in the northern Red Sea “regardless of consequences.” The analysts added: “Turning around was the mitigation. It's now the stated target set. And going dark didn't take this vessel off the targeting picture.”
The ballistic missile attack is part of the Houthi threat to disrupt Saudi-linked shipping in the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb chokepoint leading to the Arabian Sea, a route that matters for vessels moving between the Gulf and global markets.
Since the Houthis announced the blockade two weeks ago, the group has targeted a total of 8 Saudi tankers, the Houthi spokesman said. The group has also intercepted as many as 29 Saudi oil tankers, forcing them to turn back or preventing them from moving south toward Bab el-Mandeb.
The Houthi threat has continued despite reports of U.S.-Iran talks, and additional tankers carrying Saudi oil appeared to have transited the Bab el-Mandeb chokepoint in dark mode.
Since the Houthis said they would try to choke off Saudi shipments, Saudi Arabia has rerouted part of its exports northward to Egypt and the Suez Canal, while other vessels have increasingly gone dark while passing south through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com