Saudi Arabia Doubles Mediterranean Oil Exports to Bypass Red Sea
Saudi crude shipments through Egypt's Sidi Kerir port have surged as Riyadh reroutes exports to avoid Houthi attacks in the Red Sea.
Saudi Arabia has dramatically ramped up oil exports through Egypt's Mediterranean port of Sidi Kerir, more than doubling shipments as the kingdom works to avoid ongoing Houthi militant attacks targeting vessels in the Red Sea, according to commodity data firm Kpler.
The shift marks a significant strategic pivot in how the world's largest crude exporter is moving its oil to market. By routing shipments through the Suez Canal pipeline system and out of Sidi Kerir on Egypt's Mediterranean coast, Saudi Arabia bypasses the volatile Bab el-Mandeb strait, where Houthi forces based in Yemen have repeatedly targeted commercial and energy shipping.
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The rerouting reflects the broader disruption Houthi attacks have caused across global shipping lanes since late 2023, forcing energy producers and freight operators alike to rethink transit routes and absorb higher costs. For Saudi Arabia, protecting the reliability of its crude deliveries to European and other Western markets appears to be driving the decision to absorb whatever additional logistical costs the Mediterranean route entails.
Kpler's tracking data confirms that the crude flowing out of Sidi Kerir is predominantly of Saudi origin, underscoring how Riyadh — rather than other Gulf producers — is leaning most heavily on this alternative corridor. The surge in volume through that single Egyptian port signals that the rerouting is not a temporary workaround but an increasingly entrenched response to the security environment in the Red Sea region.
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