Saudi Arabia rerouted nearly 1 million barrels a day of crude away from Hormuz strait

Nearly 4 million barrels of crude oil per day passed through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in March, up from about 3 million the previous month and the highest level since October 2023, according to Kpler.

The increase came as Saudi Arabia rerouted crude via its East-West pipeline to the Red Sea port of Yanbu following the disruption of the Strait of Hormuz.

The pipeline has allowed Riyadh to maintain some exports, though it cannot fully offset losses caused by the closure.

Before the war, Yanbu handled between 750,000 and 850,000 barrels per day, with 1.75 million barrels per day loaded there in March.

Kpler said much of the remaining oil passing through Bab el-Mandeb was Russian crude bound for Asian markets.