Two oil tankers carrying Saudi crude for China and India made a strategic decision to alter their course in the Red Sea on Tuesday, opting to head towards the Suez Canal instead of navigating through the Yemeni coast at the sea's mouth.
The move comes after a warning from Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi militia, which has been known to pose a threat to maritime traffic in the region. By taking the Suez Canal route, the tankers are avoiding potential risks associated with the Yemeni coast, where Houthi militants have been active in recent times.