Saudi Arabia loads 12 million barrels in a day as Hormuz tanker traffic adapts

Saudi Arabia loaded nearly 12 million barrels of crude at its main Gulf terminals on Sept. 21, marking the busiest day since before the war and signaling a sharp rebound in exports through the Strait of Hormuz. Six Very Large Crude Carriers took on the oil at Ras Tanura and Juaymah, with four arriving empty between Sept. 15 and 17. TankerTrackers.com reported a slightly higher figure of 14 million barrels on seven vessels, with both datasets confirming a significant recovery in Saudi Gulf loadings. The surge follows a drone strike that temporarily shut the East-West pipeline, forcing Aramco to shift exports back to Gulf terminals. While the pipeline has since restarted, commercial traffic through Hormuz remains below normal, with tankers concealing routes and using costlier ship-to-ship transfers near Oman.