Aramco boosts SUMED shipments

Saudi Aramco is offering additional spot crude cargoes for loading at Egypt's Mediterranean port of Sidi Kerir as renewed Houthi threats to Saudi shipping increase risks for exports transiting the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, according to Reuters, citing trading sources.

The extra cargoes are shipped from Saudi Arabia to Egypt's Red Sea port of Ain Sokhna before being transported via the Suez-Mediterranean (SUMED) Pipeline to Sidi Kerir on the Mediterranean coast. Trading sources said the spot volumes are intended to supplement supplies for Aramco's long-term customers.

The move comes after Yemen's Houthi movement renewed warnings that it could target Saudi crude shipments passing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, one of the world's most critical maritime chokepoints connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.

Saudi Arabia has already increased crude exports from its Red Sea terminal at Yanbu following disruptions to Gulf shipping routes during the recent Iran conflict. Expanding exports through Egypt's Suez-Mediterranean (SUMED) Pipeline offers an alternative route to European and North American markets, reducing dependence on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

According to data from commodity analytics firm Kpler, crude loadings from Egypt's Mediterranean port of Sidi Kerir have averaged about 427,000 barrels per day (bbl/d) so far in 2026, compared with approximately 735,000 bbl/d in 2025. The export volumes include Saudi crude alongside supplies from other origins.

The renewed Houthi threats against Saudi-linked commercial shipping have heightened concerns over the security of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a critical global oil transit corridor. The escalating risks are prompting regional producers to increasingly rely on alternative export routes, including the SUMED Pipeline, to maintain uninterrupted crude flows to international markets.