The Saudi Arabian Red Sea ports of Yanbu, Rabigh and Jizan have become central to sulphur supply from the Middle East since the effective closure of the strait of Hormuz blocked vessels from the majority of sulphur-loading ports in the region.
Vessel tracking data from Kpler show several sulphur shipments from Red Sea ports, with all three loading a cargo since the closure:
- The 38,650 dwt Sea Train loaded sulphur and sailed on 9 April from Jizan toward the Gulf of Aden, and is bunkering in Yemen. The previous cargo to load at Jizan was aboard the 32,688 dwt Sea Mark on 12 March for Fangcheng, China.
- The Minxin loaded around 27,000t of sulphur for delivery to Weda Bay, Indonesia on 27 March. The previous sulphur vessel to load at Yanbu was the 60,436 dwt Zante that sailed on 2 March for Klaipeda, Lithuania.
- A 20,000t sulphur cargo from Rabigh is set to arrive on 20 April at Morocco's Jorf Lasfar port aboard the Med Rose, having sailed on 4 April.
Further cargoes were offered in the market from the Red Sea, but one constraint could be the potential of Houthi attacks on the route via the Gulf of Aden. This could raise insurance premiums or even force vessels to use the longer route via the Cape of Good Hope, significantly raising costs and sailing times. Copperbelt mining firms are able to pay the most competitive prices in the sulphur market via southern African ports for onward shipment to central Africa, and there may be subsequent shipments to these consumers.
Only three vessels have so far managed to sail through the strait since the closure from mainstream suppliers, with the latest being the Valsamitis that moved through in the last few days in what could be a signal of some confidence in the security situation returning.
Additionally, two Iranian sulphur shipments, one 20,000-25,000t crushed lump shipment and a 50,000t granular and prilled sulphur shipment may have also sailed through, though this could not be verified on vessel tracking.
Oman's Duqm adds to supply
In addition to Red Sea ports, Oman's Duqm port is also located outside of the strait, and loads regular sulphur shipments:
- The Xin Hai Tong 50 delivered 30,000t to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on 31 March having sailed on 9 March.
- The next shipment is expected at the end of May.
There are now around 15 vessels in the Mideast Gulf loaded with about 650,000t of sulphur visible on AIS and awaiting safe transit. The actual number could be higher, perhaps as many as 18-19 vessels, excluding Iranian shipments, with some vessels opting to switch off AIS tracking for safety reasons while in anchorage.
The vessels include:
- Five vessels loaded in Qatar, 35,000-40,000 dwt each — the Western Doncaster, the Liverpool Strait, the Warrior, the Nejat — and the 30,435 dwt Wladyslaw Orkan.
- Four vessels loaded in Kuwait, three of 35,000-37,000t dwt each — the Ze Hui, the Safeen Al Nasr, the Lady Anastasia — and the 53,00t dwt Jin Ming 69.
- Two vessels loaded in Saudi Arabia, 57,000t dwt each — the Heilan Journey and the Heilan Brother.
- Three vessels loaded in the UAE, 55,000-63,000t dwt each — the Frosso K, the African Lorikeet and the Yan Dang Shan and the Riching Lotus.
If the current ceasefire holds and the security situation stabilises, further sulphur vessels may transit through the strait, easing some of the severe global shortage of product.
