Saudi ports in the high risk zone Navigation decline and a dilemma for export strategy

The military escalation in the Red Sea has led major international marine insurance companies to classify Saudi western ports—foremost Jeddah and Yanbu—within “high-risk” areas.
Follow-ups – Al-Khabar Al-Yemeni:
This measure came following successive warnings and the targeting of ships heading to them, making sailing and docking at these ports fraught with unprecedented security threats.
This classification resulted in the imposition of exorbitant insurance premiums under the “war risk surcharge” clause on ships arriving in the Kingdom. This sharp increase has pushed global shipping lines either to pass on high additional costs to shipments, or to suspend direct routes and divert via the Cape of Good Hope, causing delays in goods arrival and price increases.
This situation imposes a strategic and economic dilemma on the Kingdom. It hinders the use of Yanbu port as an alternative outlet for oil exports away from the Strait of Hormuz and disrupts supply chains for major projects on the western coast. This has resulted in a notable decline in the number of visiting ships and the volume of handled cargo at Saudi ports.