Saudi Arabia’s crude oil exports from its Red Sea coast are on track to reach record levels in March as the kingdom redirects shipments away from the increasingly dangerous Strait of Hormuz.

Tanker-tracking data indicates that shipments from the Red Sea port of Yanbu have surged sharply during the first weeks of the month as Saudi Arabia works to maintain global supply flows despite escalating conflict in the Gulf region.

Analysts estimate average Red Sea shipments have climbed to roughly two and a half million barrels per day so far in March, more than triple the roughly seven hundred eighty-six thousand barrels per day exported from the region in February.

The surge reflects a rapid logistical shift by Saudi Aramco, the state-owned energy giant, as military tensions and attacks on shipping have severely disrupted tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

The narrow waterway between Iran and Oman normally carries about one-fifth of the world’s seaborne oil trade and has become a focal point of the broader regional confrontation.

To bypass the chokepoint, Saudi Arabia has been transporting crude from its eastern oil fields to its Red Sea export terminals using the kingdom’s extensive East-West pipeline system.

The cross-country network allows oil to travel from production centers near the Persian Gulf to the port of Yanbu, where tankers can load cargoes and reach international markets without passing through Hormuz.

In the first days of March alone, several very large crude carriers loaded roughly ten million barrels of oil at Yanbu, underscoring the scale of the operational shift underway.

The increase has pushed Red Sea exports to their highest level since detailed tanker-tracking records began, according to market analysts monitoring the flows.

Despite the surge, Saudi Arabia’s western export corridor cannot fully replace the massive volumes that typically leave the kingdom through Gulf terminals such as Ras Tanura.

Under normal circumstances the majority of Saudi crude exports—around six million barrels per day—move through Hormuz, meaning the Red Sea route can only partially compensate for disruptions.

Nevertheless, the strategy highlights Saudi Arabia’s role as one of the few global producers capable of rapidly redirecting supply during geopolitical crises.

By activating its pipeline network and expanding shipments from the Red Sea, the kingdom has sought to stabilise energy markets at a time when the conflict has disrupted oil production and exports across several Gulf states.

Energy markets remain volatile as the situation evolves.

Attacks on infrastructure, threats to shipping lanes and reduced tanker traffic have already pushed oil prices sharply higher and triggered emergency discussions among major economies about releasing strategic reserves.

For Saudi Arabia, increasing Red Sea exports has become a crucial tool for maintaining the flow of crude to international customers while navigating one of the most serious disruptions to Middle Eastern energy trade in years.