Key facts
- Kuwait's crude oil exports have recovered to approximately 1 million barrels per day.
- This volume is about two-thirds of the 1.6 million bpd shipped through the Strait of Hormuz prior to heightened tensions.
- Kuwait is employing ship-to-ship transfers outside the Strait of Hormuz to maintain export levels.
- Customers requiring delivery outside the Strait will face increased costs, while those loading within the Persian Gulf will receive discounts.
- Total daily flows out of Hormuz are estimated at 10 million bpd, comprising 9 million bpd of crude oil and 1 million bpd of fuels.
Kuwait's crude oil exports have rebounded to approximately 1 million barrels per day, a significant recovery to two-thirds of the volume previously shipped through the Strait of Hormuz before heightened tensions, according to a senior official at Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC).
Shaikh Khaled Ahmad Al Sabah, managing director for international marketing at KPC, stated that while Kuwait can supply all its customers, some volumes differ from before. He explained that buyers needing crude delivered outside the Strait of Hormuz will face higher prices to compensate for the risks associated with transiting the chokepoint. Conversely, customers willing to load cargoes inside the Persian Gulf will receive discounts.
Kuwait and other Gulf producers have recently managed to increase their exports out of the Strait of Hormuz by shuttling cargoes just outside the strait and then transferring the oil to other vessels. Total daily flows out of Hormuz are currently estimated at around 10 million barrels per day, with 9 million bpd being crude oil and the remainder fuels.
As of the end of August, Qatar and Kuwait were estimated to have boosted their crude oil exports from the Strait of Hormuz to 70% of pre-tension levels. They followed the United Arab Emirates' strategy of shuttling oil through the chokepoint and utilizing ship-to-ship transfers in the Gulf of Oman. Data from TankerTrackers.com indicated that Kuwait's crude oil exports in August were 36% below the immediate pre-tension baseline of January and February 2026, positioning Kuwait as one of the Gulf producers that has most effectively recovered lost shipments.