Saudi Arabia has boosted its Mediterranean crude oil exports by relying on the northern transshipment route, thereby circumventing the threat from the Houthi rebels.
2026-08-22 02:06:58
Tanker tracking data compiled last Friday showed that in just one month since the Houthi rebels threatened to attack Saudi oil shipping routes in the southern Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Saudi crude oil exports via Egypt’s Mediterranean port of Sidi Kirill have increased by about 33%. 
Saudi Aramco, the world's largest single crude oil exporter and Saudi state-owned oil giant, has launched a crude oil transshipment operation: transporting crude oil from its Red Sea port of Yanbu northward to Egypt to bypass the security risks posed by the Houthi rebels allied with Iran in Yemen. Data shows that several Western shipping operators and shipowners are assisting Saudi Aramco in this Red Sea crude oil northward transport, including South Korea's Shinhan Shipping, Norway's DHT Shipping Management, and Greece's Dynacom Shipping. The new transshipment route involves transporting crude oil from Yanbu northward to Egypt's Red Sea port of Ain Sokhna, where it is unloaded and then transported via the Sumed overland pipeline to the Mediterranean port of Sidi Kirill. Kpler shipping data shows that, influenced by the Middle East situation, Saudi Aramco's crude oil shipments via the northern Red Sea route have increased by about one-third, reaching 1.1 million barrels per day after adopting this new route. Ship tracking data shows that at least four oil tankers have completed at least two voyages on the Yanbu-Ain Sukhna route, transporting over 16 million barrels of oil in recent weeks. After arriving at the port of Sidi Kiril, the crude oil will continue its journey across the Mediterranean, around the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa, and ultimately be delivered to Asian buyers. Compared to the traditional route, this new route will add nearly a month to the time it takes for Saudi crude oil to reach Asian refineries. Earlier this week, reports indicated that due to increased shipping security risks in the southern Red Sea, some Asian refineries had applied to Saudi Aramco to change their crude oil delivery location to Sidi Kiril.
Saudi Aramco, the world's largest single crude oil exporter and Saudi state-owned oil giant, has launched a crude oil transshipment operation: transporting crude oil from its Red Sea port of Yanbu northward to Egypt to bypass the security risks posed by the Houthi rebels allied with Iran in Yemen. Data shows that several Western shipping operators and shipowners are assisting Saudi Aramco in this Red Sea crude oil northward transport, including South Korea's Shinhan Shipping, Norway's DHT Shipping Management, and Greece's Dynacom Shipping. The new transshipment route involves transporting crude oil from Yanbu northward to Egypt's Red Sea port of Ain Sokhna, where it is unloaded and then transported via the Sumed overland pipeline to the Mediterranean port of Sidi Kirill. Kpler shipping data shows that, influenced by the Middle East situation, Saudi Aramco's crude oil shipments via the northern Red Sea route have increased by about one-third, reaching 1.1 million barrels per day after adopting this new route. Ship tracking data shows that at least four oil tankers have completed at least two voyages on the Yanbu-Ain Sukhna route, transporting over 16 million barrels of oil in recent weeks. After arriving at the port of Sidi Kiril, the crude oil will continue its journey across the Mediterranean, around the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa, and ultimately be delivered to Asian buyers. Compared to the traditional route, this new route will add nearly a month to the time it takes for Saudi crude oil to reach Asian refineries. Earlier this week, reports indicated that due to increased shipping security risks in the southern Red Sea, some Asian refineries had applied to Saudi Aramco to change their crude oil delivery location to Sidi Kiril.
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