LONDON/DUBAI, July 28 — China has held direct talks with Yemen's Houthi movement to enable its tankers to sail through the southern Red Sea without being attacked after the Iran-aligned militia pledged to prevent access to Saudi ports, said six sources with knowledge of the matter.
The Houthis declared their blockade on July 20, opening a new front against the United States and its allies in the Iran war and expanding attacks on tankers carrying energy and other supplies to markets beyond the Middle East.
Beijing has asked the Houthis directly to promise safe passage for its tankers, according to the sources, who included a senior Iranian official.
China was among the first countries to contact the Houthis directly about transits through Bab el-Mandeb, the strait at the southern end of the Red Sea with Yemen on its eastern bank, said the sources, who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter.
China clears vessels individually with Houthis
Beijing is seeking to keep oil exports flowing from Saudi Arabia's Red Sea terminals, notably Yanbu, to help plug the gap in supplies caused by Iran's effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz at the exit from the Gulf.
China's Transport Ministry, the Houthis' media office, and Iran's Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
China's Foreign Ministry, without confirming talks with the Houthis, said it is closely following developments in the Red Sea, adding that the sovereignty and security of countries in the region should be respected and safety and free flow of international shipping routes should be jointly maintained.
"China calls on all relevant parties to continue to properly resolve conflicts and differences through dialogue and consultation, and to de-escalate the situation in the Red Sea," said its spokesman Mao Ning during a regular media briefing today.
Kpler analysis and LSEG and MarineTraffic ship-tracking data have revealed that at least four tankers have loaded crude from Saudi ports bound for China and transited Bab el-Mandeb since the Houthis announced their restrictions.
One source said Chinese officials have cleared each vessel individually with the Houthis, while two officials in the region briefed by Tehran told Reuters that both sides have informed Iran of their actions.
The Houthis have informed international shipping companies by email that vessels may be attacked if they load or discharge cargo at Saudi Arabian ports.
Two separate Chinese trade sources said that some tankers trying to enter the Red Sea through the Bab el-Mandeb have changed course because of safety worries.
Two tankers change course to avoid Strait
An analysis from Lloyd's List Intelligence and MarineTraffic ship-tracking data indicated that the New Champion and New Prime oil supertankers both sailed back out of the Gulf of Aden into open waters.
Kpler and other industry and ship-tracking data stated that the New Champion was due to call at Yanbu to load oil, while the New Prime was already loaded.
The operator of the two vessels, Hong Kong-based Associated Maritime, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Last week, the Houthis said that they had carried out missile and drone strikes on two Saudi oil tankers, the Encelia and the Layla. Maritime security sources confirmed the strike on the Encelia, although Reuters could not immediately confirm the attack on the Layla.
Sailing southward from Yanbu to Asia through Bab el-Mandeb takes 16 days on average. If the ship turns north for the Suez Canal and then sails west and south around Africa, it takes 50 days.
Two sources close to the Houthis told Reuters that the organisation has maintained good relations with China, and there has been close coordination in the past between them, especially on oil shipments to China from Saudi Arabia.
