Shippers Mask Positions, Weigh Options Amid Red Sea Attacks 

A boat carries people as a Houthi fighter keeps watch on the deck of the Galaxy Leader cargo ship, seized by the Houthis offshore of the al-Salif port on the Red Sea in the province of Hodeidah, Yemen, 05 December 2023 (issued 06 December 2023). (EPA)
A boat carries people as a Houthi fighter keeps watch on the deck of the Galaxy Leader cargo ship, seized by the Houthis offshore of the al-Salif port on the Red Sea in the province of Hodeidah, Yemen, 05 December 2023 (issued 06 December 2023). (EPA)
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Shippers Mask Positions, Weigh Options Amid Red Sea Attacks 

A boat carries people as a Houthi fighter keeps watch on the deck of the Galaxy Leader cargo ship, seized by the Houthis offshore of the al-Salif port on the Red Sea in the province of Hodeidah, Yemen, 05 December 2023 (issued 06 December 2023). (EPA)
A boat carries people as a Houthi fighter keeps watch on the deck of the Galaxy Leader cargo ship, seized by the Houthis offshore of the al-Salif port on the Red Sea in the province of Hodeidah, Yemen, 05 December 2023 (issued 06 December 2023). (EPA)

A number of container ships are anchored in the Red Sea and others have turned off tracking systems as traders adjust routes and prices in response to maritime attacks by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi militias on the world's main East-West trade route.

Attacks in recent days on ships in the major Red Sea shipping route have raised the specter of another bout of disruption to international commerce following the upheaval of the COVID pandemic, and prompted a US-led international force to patrol waters near Yemen.

The Red Sea is linked to the Mediterranean by the Suez Canal, which creates the shortest shipping route between Europe and Asia. About 12% of world shipping traffic transits the canal.

Major shippers including Hapag Lloyd, MSC and Maersk, oil major BP and oil tanker group Frontline have said they will be avoiding the Red Sea route and re-routing via southern Africa's Cape of Good Hope.

But many ships are still plying the waterway. Several ships underway have armed guards on board, LSEG data showed.

At least 11 container ships which had passed through Suez and were approaching Yemen carrying consumer goods and grains bound for countries including Singapore, Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates, are now anchored in the Red Sea between Sudan and Saudi Arabia, LSEG shiptracking data showed.

Four MSC container ships in the Red Sea have had their transponders turned off since Dec. 17, the data showed, likely to avoid detection.

Some vessels are attempting to mask their positions by pinging on other locations, as a safety precaution when entering the Yemen coastline, said Ioannis Papadimitriou, senior freight analyst at Vortexa.

Denmark's Maersk on Friday paused all container shipments through the Red Sea following a "near-miss incident" involving its vessel Maersk Gibraltar a day earlier. A number of the ships at anchor in the Red Sea are Maersk vessels, LSEG data showed.

On Tuesday it said vessels previously paused and due to sail through the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden would be rerouted around Africa.

The Houthis, who say they are supporting Palestinians under siege by Israel in the Gaza Strip, have waded into the Israel-Hamas conflict by attacking vessels in vital shipping lanes and even firing drones and missiles at Israel, more than 1,000 miles from the Yemeni capital Sanaa.

Houthis attacked two commercial shipping vessels in the southern Red Sea on Monday.

Industry sources say the impact on global trade will depend on how long the crisis persists, but insurance premiums and longer routes would be immediate burdens.

Vortexa's Papadimitriou on Tuesday said the price of a Suezmax to carry crude from the Middle East to Europe has risen 25% in a week.

The disruption to energy flows in the Red Sea is unlikely to have large effects on crude and liquefied natural gas (LNG) prices, Goldman Sachs said on Monday, as vessels can be redirected.

"We do estimate that a hypothetical prolonged redirection of all 7 million barrels per day of gross (Northbound and Southbound) oil flows would raise spot crude prices relative to long-dated prices by $3-4/per barrel," the investment bank said.

An Asian buyer of naphtha, a petrochemical feedstock imported from Europe, said their vessels were still using the Red Sea route as it would take another 7-14 days to re-route via Cape of Good Hope.

Some oil tanker owners are inserting a new clause to include a Cape of Good Hope option into their shipping contracts as a precautionary measure, shipbrokers said.

A person familiar with Alibaba's Cainiao logistics arm said they may see slightly longer delivery times and shipping fees, but overall the re-routing would have little impact on business.



Saudi Bank Loans to the Private Sector Reach Record Highs

A general view of the Saudi capital, Riyadh. (SPA)
A general view of the Saudi capital, Riyadh. (SPA)
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Saudi Bank Loans to the Private Sector Reach Record Highs

A general view of the Saudi capital, Riyadh. (SPA)
A general view of the Saudi capital, Riyadh. (SPA)

Saudi banks’ lending to the private sector reached an all-time high in January 2025, reflecting ongoing efforts to strengthen the Kingdom’s non-oil economy in line with Vision 2030.

According to the Saudi Central Bank’s (SAMA) monthly report, bank claims on the private sector grew by nearly 14% year-on-year in January, reaching SAR 2.89 trillion ($770.6 billion), compared to SAR 2.54 trillion ($676 billion) in the same month of the previous year. These claims include loans, advances, and other credit facilities extended by banks, serving as a key indicator of available credit in the financial system.

Bank credit accounted for approximately 96% of total claims on the private sector, which also includes investments in private securities. Bank lending rose to SAR 2.79 trillion ($744 billion) in January, marking a 13% annual increase from SAR 2.46 trillion ($656 billion) in January 2024.

Meanwhile, deposit growth was comparatively lower, rising by 9.2% year-on-year to reach a record SAR 2.73 trillion ($728 billion) in January 2025, up from SAR 2.50 trillion ($666 billion) in the same period of 2024.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Anton Lopatin, Senior Director for Banks at Fitch Ratings, explained that most Saudi private sector companies have limited access to public financing through bonds or sukuk issuances. As a result, bank loans remain the primary means of securing working capital and funding new projects.

Over the past five years, total private sector financing has nearly doubled, indicating a strong demand for credit from businesses and individuals. This growth is essential for further expanding Saudi Arabia’s non-oil economy and aligns with Vision 2030.

Despite the rapid credit expansion in recent years, Saudi Arabia’s economy remains less leveraged compared to other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, such as the UAE, Qatar, and Kuwait. Lopatin noted that Saudi banks have significant room for further expansion, particularly given the strong projected growth of the non-oil sector, which is expected to exceed 4% in 2025–2026.

Lopatin also pointed out that anticipated interest rate cuts should theoretically lower borrowing costs. However, this will also depend on banking sector liquidity. He noted that in December 2024, Saudi banks experienced a monthly decline in deposits for the first time in five years, leading to upward pressure on funding costs. If the funding gap continues to widen—where loan book growth outpaces deposit accumulation—the benefits of lower interest rates for borrowers may be diminished.

SAMA’s report also highlighted a continued deficit in Saudi banks’ net foreign assets, which turned negative in July 2024 for the first time since 1993. In January 2025, the deficit stood at SAR 10.7 billion ($2.8 billion), compared to a surplus of SAR 70 billion ($18.6 billion) in the same month of the previous year.

Net foreign assets represent the difference between banks’ foreign investments and external liabilities, reflecting the banking sector’s exposure to the global economy and its ability to meet international obligations.

As part of Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia is aiming to increase the contribution of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to GDP to 35%, while raising the private sector’s share to 65%. Additionally, the Kingdom is seeking to boost foreign direct investment (FDI) to 5.8% of GDP and expand non-oil exports to 50% of total exports.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF), in its latest Article IV consultation, projected that Saudi Arabia’s public debt-to-GDP ratio will reach 30% in 2025. It also expects private sector credit growth to reach 9.7% in 2025, compared to 10.1% in the previous year.