{
  "id": 1453281,
  "title": "Asian Refiners Seek Alternative Pickup Point for Saudi Crude",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/17/asian-refiners-seek-alternative-pickup-point-for-saudi-crude",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-17T08:55:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "OilPrice",
    "slug": "oilprice",
    "url": "https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Asian-Refiners-Seek-Alternative-Pickup-Point-for-Saudi-Crude.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Asian refiners are seeking an alternative pickup point for Saudi crude oil as the risks to shipping safety in the Red Sea rise. Some Asian refiners are requesting Saudi state oil company Aramco to collect their crude oil cargoes at Egypt's Mediterranean port of Sidi Kerir, as vessel owners are becoming increasingly hesitant to navigate the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to enter the Red Sea. According to anonymous trading sources, at least two Asia-based refiners have approached Aramco to collect their purchased oil cargoes from Sidi Kerir instead of the Saudi port of Yanbu in the Red Sea for the upcoming month. However, one of these refiners might abandon its monthly term allocation due to the increased costs associated with shipping the crude from Sidi Kerir via the Mediterranean and around Africa to Asia. Ship owners and operators, along with Asian refiners, have been wary of venturing into the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Red Sea since several attacks on oil tankers by Iran-aligned Houthis were reported since the end of July. In response to the Houthi blockade of Saudi shipments in the southern Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Saudi Arabia has been transferring crude oil from Yanbu to the Egyptian port of Ain Sukhna via the Red Sea and then through the SUMED offshore pipeline to the Sidi Kerir port. Aramco has rerouted some cargoes to Sidi Kerir and requested refiners from South Korea and Japan to collect their September allocated volume at this Egyptian port. However, most refiners from China, India, and Taiwan are still required to collect their cargoes from the Red Sea port of Yanbu, as reported by Bloomberg's trading sources. The Houthis have permitted China-linked and China-crewed vessels to operate in the Red Sea.",
  "summary": "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. At least two Asia-based refiners have asked Saudi Aramco if they can pick up their purchased…",
  "key_points": [
    "Asian refiners seek alternative pickup point for Saudi crude due to Red Sea risks.",
    "At least two Asia-based refiners request Aramco to collect oil at Egypt's Sidi Kerir port.",
    "Saudi Arabia reroutes crude via Red Sea and SUMED pipeline to Sidi Kerir port."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}