Saudi Aramco routes
tankers to Red Sea
Saudi Aramco, the world's largest oil company, is continuing to send tanker loads of crude and fuels through the southern Red Sea, where Houthi militants have for months been menacing merchant ships in response to the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
"We're moving in the Red Sea with our oil and products cargoes," Mohammed Al Qahtani, who heads Aramco's refining and oil trading and marketing businesses, said in an interview at the company's headquarters in Dhahran. The associated risks are "manageable," he said.
The decision contrasts with swaths of other tanker owners who abandoned Red Sea trips after the U.S. and U.K. bombed parts of Yemen in an effort to quell the Houthi attacks. The militants responded by saying both nations' shipping would be targeted alongside that of Israel, prompting naval warnings for merchant vessels to stay away.
Even before the U.S. and U.K. attacks, which have been ongoing since Jan. 12, hundreds of container ships and many other merchant vessels had already veered away from the area -- an unavoidable route for any carrier wanting to use the Suez Canal to cut between Asia and Europe.
The Saudis have called for restraint in the U.S. and U.K. strikes against the Houthis, trying to keep its own peace talks alive with the militants.
The U.S. and U.K. imposed sanctions Thursday on four Houthi officials, while China reiterated a call for attacks on shipping to be reined in.
--Bloomberg News
Ford Escape probe
ends without recall
DETROIT -- U.S. auto safety regulators have closed an investigation into complaints that the doors on some Ford Escapes can open while the SUVs are being driven, without seeking a recall.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says its probe opened last July found that there is a low potential hazard to drivers, and that Ford is doing a customer satisfaction program to fix the problem.
Documents posted by the agency on Friday say the investigation covered about a half-million Escape SUVs from the 2020 and 2021 model years.
The agency says the SUVs have an audible and visual warning if the doors don't latch properly. Ford also plans to send letters to owners in March telling them of the satisfaction campaign, which fixes the problem but is short of a recall.
Owners can take their vehicles to a dealer to have them checked. Dealers will either install a rivet plate to reinforce the door latch arms or will provide a replacement door depending on the level of damage.
--The Associated Press
State index finishes
session up slightly
The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state, closed Friday at 926.51, up 0.92 point.
Eight of the index members gained ground in trading Friday while five declined.
The index was developed by Bloomberg News and the Democrat-Gazette with a base value of 100 as of Dec. 30, 1997.