Saudi Aramco bypasses Strait of Hormuz to supply oil to China

Saudi Aramco has increased its efforts to supply oil to Asian buyers outside the Strait of Hormuz to mitigate security risks stemming from tensions between the United States and Iran. For the second consecutive week, the company has been offering Arab Medium and Arab Heavy crude through ship-to-ship (STS) transfers near Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates or Sohar in Oman, both of which are located outside the strategic waterway.

In September, Aramco has sold at least 4 million barrels of oil to China. Data from Vortexa and Kpler indicate that two supertankers carrying these volumes are heading toward Chinese ports, including Ningbo and Zhanjiang, with shipments expected to reach major refiners such as Sinopec.

To further reduce the risk of being targeted by attacks, maritime data suggests that some tankers have been disabling their automatic tracking systems while transiting the Strait of Hormuz to avoid being localized.