The Hong Kong-flagged VLCC New Champion, chartered by a Chinese buyer, reversed course in the Gulf of Aden on Friday just before reaching Bab el-Mandeb, after idling during its voyage toward Yanbu. The empty vessel—now heading east at around 16 knots—was to have loaded Saudi crude. Two Chinese-owned supertankers safely exited the chokepoint with Saudi cargoes earlier in the week, while New Explorer and New Pearl remain in the Red Sea laden with Saudi crude. Some insurers are unwilling to cover any vessel calling at Saudi Arabia, according to brokers, and the VLCC Gas King opted for the Suez Canal route, delaying its arrival in Japan from early August to late September.
Context
It is the first reported Chinese tanker course reversal near the chokepoint, following Thursday's fall of Hormuz tanker crossings to a single vessel and a Greek tanker's transponder-off exit from the Red Sea .