New Delhi, July 24 -- Shipping freight rates may surge by as much as 50% for crude oil imports from Saudi Arabia, further increasing India's energy import bill, as liners, refiners and traders look to use the Suez Canal after the Houthi militia blockaded the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, experts said.

The Houthi militia of Yemen announced the blockade of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait connecting the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean on Tuesday. The move primarily affects Saudi Arabian oil exports from Yanbu port, which has emerged as one of the key alternatives for Saudi energy supplies for oil importers including India over the past few months.

India-bound ships from Yanbu port on the Red Sea now have a longer route to traverse. They will head north to p...