Saudi Arabia Shifts Oil Exports Through Persian Gulf Amid Disruptions

Saudi Arabia has expanded its oil exports via the Persian Gulf in response to disruptions to its alternative routes, Reuters reported. The country's state oil company, Aramco, loaded approximately 14 million barrels of crude oil onto seven Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) in the Persian Gulf on the previous day.

This move appears to be a response to the halt in operations of the East-West pipeline, which had been sending crude to the Red Sea to bypass the effectively blocked Strait of Hormuz. The pipeline was targeted by drone attacks, causing the disruption.

Aramco declined to comment on the matter, and satellite images reviewed by Reuters showed seven tankers floating near the Ras Tanura port on the eastern Gulf coast on the 20th.