According to the analytical firm Kpler, the terminal in Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia, recorded its busiest day since the war began on September 21. On this day, six very large tankers (VLCCs) loaded nearly 12 million barrels at the ports of Ras Tanura and Jubail.
This surge in activity occurred after the disruption of the kingdom's east-west pipeline. This pipeline usually allows Saudi oil to bypass the Strait of Hormuz entirely, transporting crude onshore to the Red Sea coast.
Kpler analysts note that some of the six vessels involved in this loading wave had previously appeared in reports concerning suspicious ship-to-ship transfers or unusual port calls over the last six weeks. This suggests that the redirection of flows observed on September 21 is part of a longer trend of changing vessel behavior.