Saudi Arabia’s crude exports rose in October from September, two of three ship-tracking companies told Reuters, despite Iranian attacks on Gulf shipping and claims by Yemen’s Houthis of strikes on Saudi oil facilities.
TankerTrackers.com said Saudi crude exports averaged about 7.9 million barrels per day in the first 29 days of October, up from 5.8 million bpd in September.
That comprised 3.32 million bpd from the kingdom’s west coast and 4.55 million bpd from the east, according to the preliminary data.
Petro-Logistics said exports from the Red Sea port of Yanbu were higher after a dip in September.
“Total volumes coming out of the Strait (of Hormuz) have fallen by 2-3 million bpd from the peak levels seen earlier in October,” said Virginie Bahnik of Petro-Logistics. “But Saudi exports overall are still strong and will end the month higher than in September.”
Kpler, the third tracker, showed a decline. Its data put total Saudi crude exports at 5.72 million bpd so far in October, compared with 6.70 million bpd in September.
Many tankers have switched off their tracking signals because of security risks, which makes true volumes hard to pin down. Analysts have turned to satellite imagery and port observations to estimate flows.
The trackers’ figures do not always match and are likely to be revised as more information becomes available.
