Houthi Ballistic Missile Strike on Saudi Tanker Wafa: 8 Ships Hit Since July Blockade

Eight Tankers in Two Weeks

The Wafa is the eighth Saudi oil tanker the Houthis say has been attacked since the blockade began on July 22 . The Houthis have declared the Bab el-Mandeb Strait closed to all Saudi-linked shipping . According to Saree, the group has also targeted 29 other unspecified vessels in the broader campaign .

Six Supertankers Reroute Around Africa

Ship-tracking data from LSEG and MarineTraffic shows that six empty Saudi oil tankers—returning from destinations in Asia—turned away from the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the Arabian Sea and sailed south around the Cape of Good Hope instead . Each of these supertankers can carry up to two million barrels of crude oil . The reroute adds at least two weeks to each voyage, sharply increasing fuel costs, insurance premiums, and delivery times . One tanker, the Dilam, listed Gibraltar as its destination .

Broader Context: Retaliation for Sanaa Airport Bombing

The Houthis have presented the blockade as retaliation for the Saudi-led coalition's blockade on Yemen and specifically for the bombing of Sanaa International Airport, framing their maritime campaign as a reciprocal measure . While available sources confirm this justification, specific details on the airport bombing timeline remain limited in the sourced material.

Impact on Global Energy Supplies

Compounding Chokepoint Pressure

The Houthi blockade effectively closes the Bab el-Mandeb Strait—the southern Red Sea chokepoint—to Saudi and Saudi-linked shipping, forcing a growing number of vessels to either reroute around Africa or face attack . This waterway is a critical route for Middle Eastern crude and refined products destined for European and North American markets. As of July 22, the EU Naval Force had warned commercial vessels with links to Israel, the U.S., or Saudi Arabia to avoid the area .

No Confirmed Iranian Strait of Hormuz Closure

Based on the available sourced material, the current compounding effect on global energy supplies stems from the Houthi Bab el-Mandeb blockade. No direct evidence in the search results confirms a concurrent Iranian closure of the Strait of Hormuz. If Iran has separately closed or threatened the Strait of Hormuz, that would represent a far more severe disruption—but that claim cannot be substantiated from the evidence provided here.

What Happens Next

The Houthis have announced they will escalate attacks in the northern Red Sea because Saudi Arabia has continued shipping through the region . The rerouting of six supertankers demonstrates that the shipping industry is taking the threat seriously . With each rerouted voyage adding weeks of transit time and millions in costs, the blockade is already reshaping Saudi oil logistics and adding upward pressure on global energy prices .