The Houthis have now struck a fourth tanker tied to Saudi Arabia, and the pattern behind the attacks is hardening into a rule of transit. The NCC Ghazal was hit by anti-ship missiles in the southern Red Sea and forced to turn back, according to Martin Kelly, Head of Advisory at EOS Risk Group, the latest vessel caught by the maritime blockade the group declared on Saudi ports.
The Houthi military spokesman said the tanker was targeted with multiple ballistic missiles after it "violated" the group's navigation ban, and that it was made to retreat. The UK Maritime Trade Operations centre logged the incident from the water: the master of a tanker reported an explosion while transiting the southern Red Sea near Jizan. Crew and vessel were reported safe, with no pollution.
A blockade enforced one hull at a time
Four attacks in, the message to owners is deliberate. The Houthis are not trying to sink the trade so much as to make every Saudi-linked passage a gamble, and it is working on the risk assessments that decide whether a ship sails. The Joint Maritime Information Center has lifted its threat level for the southern Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb strait to substantial and calls further strikes a strong possibility.
Each successful strike also feeds the next one's cost. A fourth hit confirms the threat is persistent rather than a one-off, and persistence is what war-risk syndicates price hardest. Premiums that reset per voyage climb with every incident, and the climb itself pushes marginal cargoes onto the long route around Africa. The blockade's reach, in other words, is measured less in ships hit than in voyages never fixed.
For charterers weighing a southern Red Sea run, the calculus now includes a credible chance of being fired on and turned around before reaching berth. That prospect prices itself into war-risk cover and, increasingly, into the decision to route the cargo the long way instead. A blockade that halts even a fraction of Saudi liftings reshapes where the region's barrels go and what it costs to move them.
Cover image: IPPA photographer, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
As Editor in Chief of The Maritime, I lead content development, interviews, and digital storytelling across our multimedia maritime platform. With over 10 years of experience in the maritime industry, I create and publish in-depth stories and video features that highlight key players, emerging trends, and operational realities across global shipping. Before launching The Maritime, I worked as a Vessel Operator at Imza Marine A.S., gaining hands-on commercial shipping and voyage operations experience. I also served as Marketing Communications Specialist at Gimas Ship Supply & Services, where I managed corporate communication, digital strategy, and industry outreach for shipowners and maritime clients. I hold a Master’s degree in Maritime Transportation Management from Istanbul Technical University and a Master’s degree in Publishing from Marmara University. My work is driven by the belief that the maritime world deserves strong, informed, and accessible media representation. I am committed to sharing the stories of maritime professionals and contributing to the sector’s visibility, knowledge exchange, and future development.
