Tankers divert to Egypt as the Houthi threat reshapes Saudi crude export routes

According to a Bloomberg report on Tuesday 28 July 2026, a number of empty supertankers are heading to Egypt's Mediterranean port of Sidi Kerir to load Saudi crude, while observable traffic at the kingdom's main Red Sea export terminal has dwindled.

Ship tracking data shows at least eight very large crude carriers signalling Sidi Kerir as their destination, due to arrive over the coming weeks through to mid August 2026. State owned Saudi Aramco has been offering more oil from the Egyptian port after Yemen's Houthis struck a vessel in the Red Sea last week.

On this route, Saudi crude is typically loaded at Yanbu, moved to Egypt's Red Sea port of Ain Sukhna, and then pumped north to the Sidi Kerir export terminal on the Mediterranean via the Suez to Mediterranean pipeline, known as SUMED.