Saudi Aramco Routes 1.1 Million Barrels a Day Through Egypt as Houthi Strikes Continue
Tanker-tracking data show Saudi crude exports via Egypt's Sidi Kerir have jumped 33% over the past month as Aramco shuttles around the Bab el-Mandeb.
Saudi Arabia has boosted crude exports from Egypt's Mediterranean port of Sidi Kerir by about 33% in the month since Houthi militants threatened oil shipments through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, with the northern shuttle route now moving roughly 1.1 million barrels per day, Kpler data cited by Bloomberg showed on Friday (2026-08-21).7
The rearrangement routes tankers from Yanbu on Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coast north to the Ain Sukhna terminal at the Gulf of Suez, where cargo transfers to Mediterranean-bound vessels at Sidi Kerir. At least four tankers have completed the Yanbu-to-Ain Sukhna leg at least twice, collectively moving more than 16 million barrels in recent weeks, according to ship-tracking data monitored by Bloomberg. Shipowners including South Korea's Sinokor Group are among those facilitating the trades.7,6
The trigger was a Houthi announcement on July 22 (2026-07-22) that it would impose a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia. ICE Brent crude front-month surged more than 6% on July 23 (2026-07-23) to reach $100 a barrel, its highest since late May, while NYMEX WTI climbed over 5% to $91.24, its first close above $90 since June 11.3
A MarineTraffic analyst had described the shift plainly on July 22 (2026-07-22): "the Bab el-Mandeb risk picture is deteriorating." By July 28 (2026-07-28), at least eight very large crude carriers were heading to Sidi Kerir to take on Saudi barrels as observable traffic at the kingdom's Red Sea export hubs thinned, Rigzone reported.2,4
The Houthis followed through. On August 5 (2026-08-05), military spokesperson Yahya Saree claimed a "precise hit" on a Saudi oil tanker near Yanbu. Windward analysts noted that the targeted vessel, identified as the WAFA, had apparently turned north through Saudi coastal waters after the blockade announcement — and was struck anyway, hundreds of kilometres from the declared blockade zone.5
The market's initial response to the mid-July escalation has since eased. ICE Brent crude front-month stood at $93.60 a barrel as of August 23 (2026-08-23), down roughly $6 from the July 23 (2026-07-23) peak but still elevated above pre-blockade levels, with markets closed for the weekend. The export rerouting appears to have averted a sustained physical disruption.3
Goldman Sachs expected prices to retain most of their July-August gains as global inventories continued to decline, supported by lower Middle East production and seasonal travel demand, according to reporting from late July. But the shuttle system adds both cost and operational exposure. Each transfer at Ain Sukhna absorbs vessel capacity and time. And the WAFA incident shows the northern corridor is not a sanctuary: the Houthis struck a vessel operating well outside the area they had formally declared.3,5
The broader conflict context matters here. Foreign Policy reported that Saudi Arabia struck a Houthi target on July 13 (2026-07-13), nine days before the blockade announcement — an escalation inside what had been a four-year truce. The truce now looks fragile.1
"Tanker operators with higher risk tolerance have entered the trade, facilitating shuttle tanker movements between Yanbu and Ain Sukhna so crude supplies can be transported, and Saudi Aramco customers can receive their oil," Rigzone reported on Friday (2026-08-21). That tolerance has limits. The strike on the WAFA, hundreds of kilometres from the declared exclusion zone, suggests the operational boundary for these shuttle runs is narrower than many operators initially calculated.6,5