Nine very large crude carriers collected oil cargoes at Saudi Arabia’s Persian Gulf export facilities on Wednesday, marking the highest level of activity at these terminals since hostilities began in the region at the end of February.
Images from the European Union’s Sentinel 2 orbiter showed the nine VLCCs moored at Saudi berths. The vessels have a combined transportation capacity of approximately 18 million barrels. The ships may not depart on the same day, which would spread out the volume over time.
Traders are watching Middle East oil flows closely as signs emerge that shipments from the Persian Gulf are reaching levels similar to those seen before the conflict. A single day of tanker loading activity does not guarantee a sustained increase in Saudi Arabia’s exports. Images from Sunday showed only two tankers moored at similar locations, with a third vessel leaving the moorings.
Satellite image availability varies based on the orbiter’s path and weather conditions. In 96 images from the Sentinel 1 and Sentinel 2 orbiters covering the period since mid-June, the average number of berths in use on any given day is two. Nearly one-third of the images showed all berths empty.
At Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea oil terminals, activity remained lower. A Wednesday image from the Sentinel 1 satellite showed four tankers moored at the seven available berths. The vessels included two VLCCs and two smaller tankers, likely Aframax-sized ships.
