India-bound tankers carry crude via Bab el-Mandeb by disabling tracking transponders

Two crude oil tankers carrying 1.7 million barrels of Saudi oil for Indian state refiners successfully exited the Red Sea through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait last week by turning off their location transponders. The vessels—the Suezmax Amazon chartered by Indian Oil Corporation and the Aframax Rodos chartered by Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited—loaded crude at Saudi Arabia’s Yanbu port before disabling their Automatic Identification System transponders to evade tracking following a naval blockade declared by Yemen’s Houthi forces. Managed by Greece-based Dynacom Tankers, the ships adopted the safety tactic after two other fleet vessels were struck by projectiles in the region. Navigating south while “dark” to protect crew and cargo, the vessels are scheduled to deliver their shipments to Mangalore and Chennai, according to a report.

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