Saudi domestic oil shipments through the Bab al-Mandeb have ground to a halt in recent weeks amid heightened maritime risks. Saudi Aramco first halted shipments of crude oil to domestic facilities through the straits, and now the tap has been closed on refined products transfers as it revamps its supply chains.
Aramco has traditionally delivered crude oil feedstock on tankers from its key Gulf terminal of Ras Tanura to two Red Sea refineries, 400,000 b/d Petro Rabigh and 400,000 b/d Jazan. It also supplies crude and fuel oil to Red Sea power stations and desalination plants from a range of facilities, including those located at the Gulf industrial city of Jubail. More modest volumes of jet fuel and MTBE – a blending component for gasoline – have also routinely been shipped East-West through the Bab al-Mandeb. (CONTINUED - 751 WORDS)
