Gulf Crude Shuttled Through Hormuz for Offshore Transfers to Long-Haul Tankers

Gulf oil exporters have established a two-stage maritime shuttle mechanism to move crude through the Strait of Hormuz, Arabian Gulf Business Insight (AGBI) reported. Under this arrangement, shuttle tankers load crude at terminals inside the Arabian Gulf and navigate the strait, supported by US naval escorts, before transferring cargoes ship-to-ship outside the waterway.

The crude is primarily transferred to larger long-haul vessels stationed off Sohar on the Omani coastline, with similar transfer operations taking place off the coast of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates. The long-haul tankers then transport the oil onward to major Asian markets, including China, India, Japan, and South Korea.

According to maritime experts cited by AGBI, Saudi Arabia intensified the use of this shuttle corridor following the closure of its overland East-West pipeline. The workaround has allowed Saudi export loadings to rebound toward 4 million barrels per day despite ongoing transit tensions through Hormuz.