Hormuz is under "chokehold"! It is reported that Saudi Aramco plans to switch to the Red Sea port for self-rescue and breakthrough.

Latest reports indicate that Saudi Aramco is exploring the possibility of shipping more crude oil through Yanbu port.

The day before, Iranian Revolutionary Guard Commander Jafari stated that any ships attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz would be destroyed, and Iran will not allow a single drop of oil to flow out of the region.

Currently, the Strait of Hormuz is closed, leaving dozens of ships stranded. Yanbu, located on the central eastern coast of the Red Sea in western Saudi Arabia, is the second-largest city on the country’s west coast after Jeddah and is outside the Persian Gulf area.

Saudi Aramco usually exports most of its crude oil from ports in the Gulf region, but Middle Eastern conflicts have caused severe congestion of ships. However, the company has a pipeline with a daily capacity of 5 million barrels that transports oil from eastern fields to the western Red Sea coast.

Sources reveal that Saudi Aramco has asked some Asian customers if they can switch to pickup at Yanbu. The company is also consulting with shipping companies to assess whether to change the loading point from the Persian Gulf to Yanbu.

It should be noted that the Red Sea is not entirely safe either. Yemen’s Houthi forces previously threatened to restart attacks on Red Sea shipping lanes. Although no new attacks have been reported so far, the risk remains significant, leading some major shipping companies to cancel plans to return to this route.

Data shows that Saudi Arabia’s current crude oil production is about 10 million barrels per day, with exports last month reaching approximately 7.2 million barrels per day. However, the country’s east-west pipeline, which is 746 miles long, still lacks the capacity to meet all overseas sales demands.

As Middle Eastern conflicts escalate, Saudi Aramco has been impacted—after drone attacks, the company was forced to shut down the Ras Tanura refinery, its largest in the Persian Gulf.

Meanwhile, slowed maritime shipping has raised concerns that oil storage tanks could fill up quickly, potentially forcing Saudi Arabia to cut crude oil production.

Just before this report, Iraq began shutting down oil production at the Rumaila oil field due to full storage facilities. Iraq also reduced oil output at the West Qurna-2 field by 450,000 barrels per day.

(Source: Cailian Press)