Bloomberg: Qatar and Kuwait Boost Hormuz Oil Exports Through Ship to Ship Transfers

According to Bloomberg, carried by Oilprice.com on Thursday, 5 Shahrivar 1405 (August 27, 2026), anonymous oil traders said Qatar and Kuwait, following the pattern set by the United Arab Emirates, have raised their crude exports through the Strait of Hormuz to a significant share of pre war levels by using ship to ship transfers in the Gulf of Oman. Before the war, the two countries together exported about 2 million barrels a day through the strait, but struggled badly in the conflict's first two months because, unlike Saudi Arabia and the UAE, they lack alternative export routes.

The report said Kuwait and Qatar began shuttling crude through the Strait of Hormuz and transferring it to larger tankers outside the chokepoint around June (Khordad 1405). Bloomberg's trading sources told the outlet that total oil flow through the strait, including undeclared activity and vessels without tracking signals, has risen to about 7 to 8 million barrels a day, up from about 4 million barrels a day in mid July (Tir 1405). These figures rest on traders' accounts and have not yet been confirmed by official or independent data.