According to the Wall Street Journal, citing informed sources, the oil company Shell will no longer be sending shipments across the Red Sea and through the Gulf of Aden. They have taken this decision due to fears of a further escalation of the conflict in the region following the US-led bombings against the Houthis.
12% of the oil and 8% of the liquefied natural gas shipments cross the Red Sea. Shell’s decision to suspend them comes one month after another company, British Petroleum first opted to do the same.
Oil companies halting their shipments is a consequence of the uncertain scenario in the Middle East. From mid-November to date, 31 attacks by the Houthis against commercial ships linked in some way to Israel have been reported. Moreover, in December, one of the tankers chartered by Shell was targeted by a drone in the Red Sea.
Translation by Giles Foster
