Houthis May Use Satellite Data to Target Saudi Tankers

Escalating Attacks on Saudi-Flagged Tankers

According to a report by The Maritime Executive, the Houthis carried out a third attack on Saudi-associated shipping on July 25, striking the products tanker NCC Masa (IMO 9688336). The vessel sustained only superficial damage and continued its voyage. This followed earlier strikes the same week on the VLCC Layla (IMO 9336098) and the tanker Encelia (IMO 9240172), both Saudi-flagged.

The report notes that NCC Masa normally moves oil and chemical products between ports along Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast, and was not attempting to exit the Red Sea when hit. This pattern supports the Houthis’ stated intent to target Saudi ships and visitors to Saudi ports broadly, rather than pursuing a narrower blockade of the Bab el Mandeb strait.

Signs of Improved Intelligence Capability

The source states that past Houthi anti-shipping campaigns were often indiscriminate and inaccurate, but the more precise targeting now observed suggests access to upgraded maritime intelligence tools — potentially near real-time, high-resolution satellite imagery rather than reliance on fishing boats or coastal observation near Hajjah and Hodeidah.

According to the report, Iran has reportedly supplied the Houthis with terminal equipment enabling access to the Russian/Iranian Kanopus-V/Khayyam satellite constellation, as well as the Chinese Jilin-1 mini-satellite network and the TEE-01B imagery satellite built by The Earth Eye Co, for which Iran is said to have paid $37 million in March 2024. The report indicates this system may also be linked to the accuracy of recent attacks on U.S. bases in the Gulf.

Wider Regional Response

The article describes a broader escalation: Saudi Arabia struck a telecommunications site in Hodeidah and coastal radars on Kamaran Island, while avoiding ports used for humanitarian aid. The Houthis nonetheless attacked storage tanks at the Jizan refinery and reportedly targeted Yanbu and a communications facility near Abha. Houthi spokesman Brigadier Yahya Saree subsequently broadened the campaign’s scope, framing it as an alliance with Iran and threatening retaliation against any country striking Iran or Houthi-controlled Yemen.

The report notes at least one U.S. Navy destroyer, USS Gonzalez (DDG-66), is present in the lower Red Sea, while Omani mediators continue efforts to de-escalate tensions that threaten the ceasefire in place since March 2022. Traffic through the Bab el Mandeb reportedly continues, though possibly at reduced volume.

Apeks view — For owners and operators, the takeaway isn’t the specific satellite claim but the shift it implies: targeting decisions that once looked opportunistic may now be informed and repeatable. That changes risk assessment from a probability exercise into something closer to threat tracking. Flag, route, and port-call decisions need current, verified inputs rather than historical assumptions, and should stay with experienced operators weighing evidence as it develops, not static risk scores set in advance.