Saudi Gazette report

Jeddah — The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will hold a meeting of permanent representatives of member states on Wednesday to discuss the Houthi militia attack on Saudi oil tankers targeting free navigation and international trade in the Strait of Bab Al-Mandeb and the Red Sea.

The meeting will be addressed by OIC Secretary General Dr. Yousef Al-Othaimeen, the chairman of the delegation of Saudi Arabia, and other representatives.

A final statement will be issued at the end of the meeting, which will be presented to the next meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers to be held in the United Arab Emirates.

On Saturday Saudi Aramco said it resumed its oil shipments through the Bab Al-Mandeb Strait with immediate effect.

Oil shipments through the strait were suspended on July 25 after the botched terror attack by Houthi militias on Saudi oil tankers.

Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falid said the Kingdom made the decision to resume shipments after taking necessary measures to ensure the safety and security of ships transiting the strait and the southern parts of the Red Sea, the ministry said in a separate statement Saturday.

The strait is an 18-mile-wide chokepoint at the southern tip of the Red Sea between the Arabian Peninsula and the Horn of Africa, through which 4.8 million b/d of crude and refined products transited in 2016, according to the US Energy Information Administration.

The bulk of Europe’s crude oil imports from the Middle East pass through the Red Sea, while the Middle East and Asia receive key refined products from Europe via the strait.