Asahi: Saudi oil delivery times to Asia could increase 2.5-fold

The delivery time for Saudi oil to Asia could increase 2.5-fold to around 100 days for a round trip if the Bab el-Mandeb Strait is closed, according to data from Japan Shipowners' Association.

Report informs via Asahi that the voyage through the Strait of Hormuz, the traditional route for oil shipments 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 roughly the same amount of time - between 40 and 50 days.

If the Bab el-Mandeb Strait is blocked following the current closure of the Strait of Hormuz, vessels would have to travel through the Suez Canal and around the Cape of Good Hope. Such a route would take about 100 days round trip, inevitably driving up shipping costs, Asahi notes.

Vessels sailing to Asia from Saudi ports on the Red Sea need to pass through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, located off the southwestern tip of Yemen.