Deliveries of Saudi oil to Asia could take 2.5 times longer and reach about 100 days round trip if the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait is closed, according to data from the Japanese Shipowners' Association.
A voyage through the Strait of Hormuz, the traditional route for oil supplies from the Middle East to Asia, previously took 40 days round trip. The route through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, which could serve as an alternative, takes approximately the same time — from 40 to 50 days.
If the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait is blocked following the current closure of the Strait of Hormuz, vessels will have to go through the Suez Canal and around the Cape of Good Hope. Such a route would take about 100 days round trip, which will inevitably lead to higher transport costs, Asahi notes.
Vessels heading to Asia from Saudi ports in the Red Sea must pass through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, located at the southwestern tip of Yemen.