BP Halts All Tanker Sailings Through Red Sea; UK Navy Receives Report Of Possible Explosion Near Yemen

The number of major shipping firms halting all commercial sailings through the highly trafficked Red Sea strait has increased to five from four in response to missile and drone attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis. 

Bloomberg reports that energy giant BP Plc is the latest shipper to pause all tanker sailings through the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait due to Houthi militants. 

“In light of the deteriorating security situation for shipping in the Red Sea, BP has decided to temporarily pause all transits through the Red Sea,” BP said in a statement.

Besides BP, Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd, CMA CGM, and Mediterranean Shipping Company have all paused commercial vessel operations through the Red Sea that connects to Egypt’s Suez Canal. 

Spillover risks of the Israel-Hamas war are quickly building, as the Red Sea is responsible for 40% of the world’s international trade. 

Over the weekend, US Central Command wrote in a post on X that the Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Carney shot down 14 Houthi drones in the Red Sea. 

On Monday morning, the UK Navy said it received a report of a possible explosion on the water about 30 miles south of Port Mokha, Yemen. 

The chaos has caused some shippers to divert vessels around the Cape of Good Hope to avoid the conflict area. 

The acceleration of de-globalization is leading to a surge of uncertainty along major global maritime routes.