Saudi Arabia, world's largest oil exporter, increases use of its Yanbu port amid Iran conflict

LONDON- Daily crude loadings at Saudi Arabia's Red Sea port of Yanbu are close to maximum levels this week as tensions with Yemen's Houthi militia intensify and the kingdom seeks to maximise oil exports, according to data and industry sources.

Saudi Aramco, the world's largest oil exporter, has increased use of the Yanbu terminal since the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran began on February 28.

Saudi Arabia is also considering expanding the capacity of its oil pipeline to the western Red Sea coast, enabling the kingdom and possibly neighbours to transport more oil without crossing the Strait of Hormuz, sources have told Reuters.

Aramco declined to comment.

FILE PHOTO: An infographic titled 'Saudi Arabia's Yanbu Port' created in Istanbul, Turkiye, on March 28, 2026. Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter, is trying to benefit from alternative export routes via Yanbu. Omar Zaghloul / Anadolu

Shipments from Yanbu reached 4.7 million barrels per day around July 13, up from 3.36 million bpd around July 10 and broadly in line with 4.6 million bpd around July 2, according to Signal Ocean data.

Loadings have averaged above four million bpd since June, compared with 973,000 bpd around the same period 2025, the data showed.

Kpler data also show daily loadings averaging around four million barrels in recent weeks.

OPEC's largest producer has relied increasingly on Yanbu to export crude as disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz during the conflict have curbed Gulf exports, preventing hundreds of millions of barrels of oil from leaving the region and affecting other producers.

Yemen's Houthis fired missiles at Saudi Arabia after accusing the kingdom of bombing an airport under their control on Monday, breaking a four-year truce between Riyadh and the Iran-aligned group.

Industry sources said there were concerns that Yanbu could become a Houthi target.

A refinery near Yanbu was attacked in March, although that incident was assessed as a strike by Iran rather than the Houthis.

"Yanbu has been fixing at maximum capacity in recent weeks and there are concerns that the Houthis may open another front, but there's not much more room for higher shipments," one shipping industry source said.

-Reporting by Jonathan Saul and Ahmad Ghaddar; Editing by Mark Potter/Reuters