Aramco Finds a New Way to Keep Saudi Crude Flowing to China
By Julianne Geiger - Aug 26, 2026, 3:00 PM CDT Saudi Arabia is not waiting for the Strait of Hormuz to return to normal to deliver its crude to Asia. It is building a workaround, one tanker handoff at a time.
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Key Facts
- Fact 1: By Julianne Geiger - Aug 26, 2026, 3:00 PM CDT Saudi Arabia is not waiting for the Strait of Hormuz to return to normal to deliver its crude to Asia.
- Fact 2: Two VLCCs carrying a combined 4 million barrels of Saudi crude were headed to China after receiving their cargoes through ship-to-ship transfers off Sohar, according to Vortexa and Kpler data cited by Reuters.
- Fact 3: One is expected at Ningbo on September 15 and the other at Zhanjiang on September 12, with both cargoes destined for Sinopec.
- Fact 4: By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com Treasury Expands Iran Sanctions Without Targeting Major Chinese Banks Europe Dodges a Rhine Crisis for the Worst Possible Reason Oil Nears $100 as Trump’s ‘Economic D-Day’ Raises the Stakes Download The Free Oilprice App Today Back to homepage
By Julianne Geiger - Aug 26, 2026, 3:00 PM CDT Saudi Arabia is not waiting for the Strait of Hormuz to return to normal to deliver its crude to Asia. It is building a workaround, one tanker handoff at a time.
Saudi Aramco is offering more September crude to Asian buyers through ship-to-ship transfers outside Hormuz, according to Reuters, after shipping data showed Saudi barrels moving through the strait aboard tankers with their tracking systems switched off. The model is relatively simple: move Saudi crude through the dangerous part of the journey, then transfer it to another tanker off Fujairah in the UAE or Sohar in Oman. The buyer gets its cargo without having to send its own vessel into Hormuz.
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Original source: OilPrice.com