Key facts
- Middle Eastern crude oil exports reached 12.8 million barrels per day in September, the highest since February 2026.
- Saudi Arabia and the UAE drove the rebound by rerouting shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
- Saudi Arabia's September exports were approximately 5.4 million bpd, up from 2.5 million bpd in August.
- Damage to Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline temporarily forced a shift back to Gulf ports.
- Brent crude futures traded around $88.40 per barrel, and WTI was near $82.43 per barrel.
Middle Eastern crude oil exports surged to 12.8 million barrels per day in September, marking the highest regional outflow since February 2026, as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates successfully rerouted shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. This rebound in transits via the critical energy chokepoint comes despite ongoing threats to maritime navigation.
Data from analytics firm Kpler indicates that Saudi Arabia, the region's top exporter, was on track to ship approximately 5.4 million bpd in September, a significant recovery from 2.5 million bpd in August. This volatility was linked to damage to the kingdom's East-West pipeline, which forced a temporary diversion of oil exports away from the Red Sea port of Yanbu back toward eastern Gulf ports. Consequently, September shipments from the Ras Tanura port jumped to about 3.6 million bpd, up from 929,000 bpd in August.
Despite the recovery, September figures remain substantially below pre-war levels. In February 2026, the region exported 18.8 million barrels per day, highlighting the enduring impact of geopolitical conflict on global energy availability. The current 6 million bpd shortfall underscores that while producers find alternative routes, they cannot fully replace the capacity of the Hormuz route.
The recovery in physical oil movements has led to a measured response in global commodities markets. Brent crude futures rebounded to approximately $88.40 per barrel, and West Texas Intermediate (WTI) traded near $82.43 per barrel. These prices reflect a market sensitive to maritime security developments in the Middle East, with specific non-US and non-Israeli-linked cargoes seeing safer transit.