Saudi Aramco Resumes Hormuz Loadings and Expands Ship-to-Ship Transfers Amid Regional Disruptions

Saudi Aramco has restarted crude-oil loadings at its Juaymah and Ras Tanura terminals inside the Strait of Hormuz after a three-week pause. The company is also negotiating ship-to-ship (STS) transfers for Arab Medium and Arab Heavy grades off Fujairah and Sohar, allowing Asian refiners to receive cargoes without sailing through the waterway.

BreitbartSaudi Aramco offers oil outside the Strait of Hormuz to Asian clients Oil PriceReutersAramco offering crude oil outside Strait of Hormuz: report Aramco Reroutes Asian Crude Shipments via Fujairah Amid Hormuz Disruptions Saudi Aramco Proposes Crude Supply Off Fujairah in Unusual Move to Bypass Strait of Hormuz — BigGo Finance Bloomberg

During the U.S.–Iran escalation, attacks on tankers forced Aramco to divert most exports to Yanbu via a pipeline carrying Arab Light and Extra Light crude. Houthi-linked blockades of the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb have again limited that route, prompting the revival of Hormuz loadings and offshore STS transfers, a practice used by Abu Dhabi National Oil Co.

Aramco Reroutes Asian Crude Shipments via Fujairah Amid Hormuz Disruptions

• August 12–16, 2026 – Three VLCCs (Malaysia Prosperity, Algeria Prosperity, Singapore Prosperity) each loaded roughly 2 million barrels from Juaymah and Ras Tanura.

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• August 17, 2026 – Aramco offered Arab Medium and Arab Heavy cargoes to select Asian refiners for September loading via STS transfers off Fujairah and Sohar.

Aramco offering crude oil outside Strait of Hormuz: report

• August 18, 2026 – Shipping data confirmed the resumption of loadings inside Hormuz and that additional VLCCs were waiting to load.

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• The three VLCCs loaded a combined ? 6 million barrels of crude.

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• Provisional data indicate six more VLCCs could load Saudi crude from inside Hormuz later in the month.

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• Satellite imagery shows a cluster of supertankers with a combined capacity of at least 9 million barrels near Ras Tanura.

Bloomberg

• Expected loading at Egypt’s Sidi Kerir port is ? 670,000 bpd for Asia this month, far below the ? 4 million bpd previously exported from Yanbu.

Reuters

• On August 17, 2026, crude settled at $84.97 per barrel, up 0.82 % on the day.

Reuters

• Amin Nasser, CEO of Saudi Aramco, noted that the Yanbu pipeline primarily transports Arab Light and Extra Light, while offshore fields supply the medium and heavy grades now offered via STS transfers.

Bloomberg

• Aramco declined to comment on the specific STS proposals.

Aramco offering crude oil outside Strait of Hormuz: report

Satellite monitoring confirmed a large supertanker cluster just outside the Persian Gulf, ready for offshore transfer, supporting the shift toward off-Hormuz loading points.

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Sources differ on the precise grades loaded during the August 12-16 VLCC operations; some list “heavy crude” without specifying Arab Medium or Arab Heavy. The logistics of moving crude from the Gulf to the Fujairah/Sohar transfer zones remain unclear.

Aramco offering crude oil outside Strait of Hormuz: report

Provisional data suggest six additional VLCCs may load Saudi crude from inside Hormuz later this month, and STS contracts for September deliveries are pending confirmation from Asian refiners. Monitoring of Houthi activity and Hormuz security will influence future routing decisions.

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