No large tankers have docked at Saudi Arabia's top Persian Gulf terminals since July 12, satellite imagery shows, as the US-Iran conflict keeps shipowners away from the Strait of Hormuz. Traffic through the strait has picked up in recent days even as attacks spread toward the Red Sea, where a Saudi tanker was hit this past week.
Gulf terminals see uneven traffic
No large tankers have been seen berthed at Saudi Arabia's top Persian Gulf installations since July 12, according to satellite images from the European Union's Sentinel-1 orbiter, as recent attacks continue to deter shipowners from crossing the Strait of Hormuz. The picture was slightly better at the main terminals across Iraq, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.
A spokesperson for the UAE Energy Ministry declined to comment, and the energy ministries of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait didn't respond to requests for comment. A spokesman for Iraq's Oil Ministry said the number of vessels loading at the country's berths fluctuates depending on conditions there.
Hormuz risk keeps shipowners away
Visible traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Persian Gulf to international buyers, has been constrained again since the US-Iran peace deal fell apart. The disruption has spread to Yemen's Bab el-Mandeb waterway, which connects to the Red Sea, and remains the largest of several supply crises whipsawing crude prices. That squeezes consumers with high fuel costs and complicates central banks' efforts to control inflation.
Even so, traffic through Hormuz has picked up in recent days, with the US saying its navy escorted some tankers across the waterway. The tanker Al Areesh exited the Persian Gulf early Thursday carrying the first shipment of liquefied natural gas from Qatar in several weeks, and continued flow could allow Middle Eastern producers to begin loading more cargoes.
Red Sea attacks add pressure
Tensions have escalated in the Red Sea over the past week after at least one attack on a Saudi tanker by Iran-backed Houthi militants from Yemen. Still, two ships controlled by Dynacom Tankers Management Ltd. were observed heading for the Red Sea on Wednesday, according to tracking data.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed on Wednesday to have "struck and brought to a halt" three tankers it said were moving along an illegal route, according to state-run IRIB News. Naval authorities in the Middle East haven't confirmed any attacks on vessels in the region.
Source: Rigzone.com: Latest News Headlines
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