Rising security risks in the Strait of Hormuz and concerns over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait—which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden—have placed renewed pressure on oil and refined product exports from the Middle East.
Sea-news.az citing ship-tracking data from Kpler, daily exports of crude oil, petroleum products, and liquid chemicals from the Middle East fell from 21.1 million barrels on October 8 to 8.3 million barrels on October 13. While the average daily export volume over the last 7 days stood at roughly 17 million barrels, this remains well below the pre-conflict level of approximately 23.3 million barrels per day.
The decline is largely driven by a sharp drop in vessel transits through the Strait of Hormuz, which fell from 32 ships on October 8 to just 6 on October 12. Experts warn that simultaneous large-scale supply disruptions in both Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb could exert severe pressure on global energy markets.
