Before the near-total closure of vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, 15–16 million barrels per day (mb/d) of crude oil flowed through the waterway. Since March, loadings at two Middle Eastern ports that bypass Hormuz—Yanbu on Saudi Arabia’s west coast and Fujairah on the United Arab Emirates’ east coast—have more than doubled to ~5.8 mb/d, helping to partially offset flows disrupted through the Strait.
If export volumes through these alternative routes remain at May 2026 levels, crude oil flows through Hormuz only need to return to ~12 mb/d (vs. 15-16 mb/d pre-war) to bring total Middle East exports back near 2025 levels.
