At least four oil tankers have diverted course from the Red Sea since overnight strikes by the US and Britain on Houthi targets in Yemen, shipping data from LSEG and Kpler showed, Reuters reports.

One of the tankers, Toya, a very large crude carrier capable of carrying up to two million barrels of oil, was unladen, the data showed. The other three vessels are fuel tankers.

Oil prices were up over $3 a barrel, or more than 4 per cent, by 1115 GMT, with Brent trading above $80, amid heightened geopolitical risks.