Asian Refiners Seek Alternative Pickup Point for Saudi Crude

Heightened risks to shipping safety in the Red Sea have prompted some Asian refiners to ask Saudi state oil giant Aramco to pick up its crude oil cargoes at Egypt’s Mediterranean port of Sidi Kerir as vessel owners are increasingly reluctant to pass through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to enter the Red Sea.

Heightened risks to shipping safety in the Red Sea have prompted some Asian refiners to ask Saudi state oil giant Aramco to pick up its crude oil cargoes at Egypt’s Mediterranean port of Sidi Kerir as vessel owners are increasingly reluctant to pass through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to enter the Red Sea.