--- title: "Asian refiners seek Saudi Aramco crude outside Red Sea over security risks" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/business/asian-refiners-seek-saudi-aramco-crude-outside-red-sea-over-security-risks" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/asian-refiners-seek-saudi-aramco-crude-outside-red-sea-over-security-risks" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/business/asian-refiners-seek-saudi-aramco-crude-outside-red-sea-over-security-risks.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/asian-refiners-seek-saudi-aramco-crude-outside-red-sea-over-security-risks" category: "Business & Economy" area: "Middle East" published: "2026-08-17T16:05:39.943Z" source_reported: "2026-08-17T13:48:38.000Z" updated: "2026-08-17T16:05:39.943Z" trust_score: 50 critic_score: 85 hype_score: 15 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-08-17T17:00:26.128367+00:00" --- # Asian refiners seek Saudi Aramco crude outside Red Sea over security risks *Aramco offers alternative pickup points as Houthi attacks disrupt shipping routes to Asia* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 50 of 100, higher is better. Trust 50: independent full reports and Bloomberg attribution, but no named persons or specific figures. - Craft 85 of 100, higher is better. Critic 85: clear context, specific locations, future unknowns, and coherent story. - Hype 15 of 100, lower is better. Hype 15: measured language, no sensationalism. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - At least two Asian refiners requested Saudi Aramco deliver September crude at Egypt’s Sidi Kerir port instead of Yanbu on the Red Sea, citing security risks. - Aramco asked refiners in Japan and South Korea to collect cargoes from Sidi Kerir, while those in China, Taiwan and India were directed to Yanbu. - Higher shipping costs from Sidi Kerir around Africa may lead at least one refiner to skip its monthly allocation. - Aramco is privately negotiating crude deliveries outside the Strait of Hormuz with some Asian refiners, a strategy also used by ADNOC. Asian refiners have asked Saudi Aramco to deliver September crude cargoes at Egypt’s Sidi Kerir port on the Mediterranean instead of Yanbu on the Red Sea. The requests follow attacks on tankers and energy infrastructure in the Red Sea by Iran-backed Houthi militants, which have made shipowners reluctant to navigate the area. At least two refiners approached Aramco about the change, according to reports by Bloomberg and Oil Price. Aramco has asked refiners in Japan and South Korea to collect their September allocations from Sidi Kerir, while those in China, Taiwan and India were mostly directed to Yanbu. The total quantity of crude allocated for September remains unclear. Some cargoes had already been redirected to Sidi Kerir before Aramco finalised its September sales, as reported by the Times of India. The higher cost of shipping crude from Sidi Kerir around Africa to Asia may lead at least one refiner to forgo its monthly allocation, traders told Bloomberg. Aramco has also begun offering crude oil outside the Strait of Hormuz to some Asian refiners through private negotiations, a strategy similar to that used by the UAE’s Abu Dhabi National Oil Co (ADNOC), according to Reuters and Business Standard. ## What the coverage left out No left-rated outlet ran this story. None of the digests or reports mentioned the discount Aramco applied to its main crude price for Asian buyers in September, which the Times of India reported as the deepest since 2020. The total quantity of crude Aramco allocated for September also remains unreported across all outlets. ## Who covered it Shares of the 7 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 0% (0) - Centre: 57% (4) - Right: 43% (3) 2 of 9 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-08-17T17:00:26.128367+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 6 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-08-17T17:30:12.235Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left No separate framing summary. ### Centre - The four centre-rated reports led on the security risks in the Red Sea and the refiners’ requests to avoid Yanbu. Oil Price and Bloomberg both reported that at least two Asian refiners asked Aramco to deliver crude at Sidi Kerir instead of Yanbu, and that the higher shipping costs could lead one refiner to skip its allocation. Reuters and Market Screener focused on Aramco’s private negotiations to supply crude outside the Strait of Hormuz. - Oil Price quoted anonymous trading sources describing the Houthi threats as the reason for the shift, and noted that Aramco had already rerouted some cargoes to Sidi Kerir. The report also specified that the Houthis are allowing China-linked vessels to move in the Red Sea. Bloomberg’s digest did not mention the Strait of Hormuz negotiations. ### Right - The three right-rated digests led on the disruption to shipping routes and Aramco’s response. The Times of India’s full report described the reluctance of Asian refiners to pick up crude from Yanbu, citing the difficulty of finding vessels willing to navigate the Red Sea. It quoted traders saying that the higher cost of shipping from Sidi Kerir could lead at least one refiner to forgo its allocation. - The Times of India also reported that Aramco had asked refiners in Japan and South Korea to collect cargoes from Sidi Kerir, while those in China, Taiwan and India were directed to Yanbu. Business Standard’s digest mentioned Aramco’s talks with buyers to supply crude via ship-to-ship transfers off Fujairah in the UAE. Protothema’s digest described Egypt’s Sidi Kerir as an “alternative gateway” to Asia and noted that the crisis was changing the supply mechanism for the world’s largest oil market. **Provisional coverage gap:** left. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - mixed: 2 - high: 3 - unknown: 2 - veryHigh: 2 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [Business Standard](https://business-standard.com/world-news/saudi-aramco-offers-crude-oil-outside-hormuz-to-some-asian-refiners-126081701220_1.html) — Saudi Aramco offers crude oil outside Hormuz to some Asian refiners - [Reuters](https://reuters.com/business/energy/saudi-aramco-offers-crude-outside-hormuz-some-asian-refiners-sources-say-2026-08-17) — Saudi Aramco offers crude outside Hormuz to some Asian refiners, sources say - [Market Screener](https://marketscreener.com/news/saudi-aramco-offers-crude-outside-hormuz-to-some-asian-refiners-sources-say-ce7859dcd98ff620) — Saudi Aramco offers crude outside Hormuz to some Asian refiners, sources say - [alsumaria.tv](https://alsumaria.tv/news/economy/573369/%D8%A3%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%83%D9%88-%D8%AA%D8%B7%D8%B1%D8%AD-%D8%B4%D8%AD%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D9%86%D9%81%D8%B7-%D9%84%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%B9-%D8%AE%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%AC-%D9%85%D8%B6%D9%8A%D9%82-%D9%87%D8%B1%D9%85%D8%B2) — Aramko Is Making Oil Shipments for Sale Outside the Strait of Hormuz. - [Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/international-business/wary-of-risks-asian-refiners-want-saudi-aramcos-shipments-to-be-picked-outside-red-sea/articleshow/133292733.cms) — Wary of risks, Asian refiners want Saudi Aramco’s shipments to be picked outside Red Sea - [Business Times](https://businesstimes.com.sg/companies-markets/energy-commodities/asian-refiners-resist-saudi-aramco-request-load-oil-red-sea-port-amid-houthi-threat) — Asian refiners resist Saudi Aramco request to load oil at Red Sea port amid Houthi threat - [Protothema](https://protothema.gr/economy/article/1865735/saoudiki-aravia-allazei-o-dromos-tou-petrelaiou-i-aiguptos-ginetai-enallaktiki-puli-pros-tin-asia) — Saudi Arabia: Oil Route Changes, Egypt Becomes Alternative Gateway to Asia - [Bloomberg](https://bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-08-17/asian-refiners-ask-to-pick-up-saudi-oil-outside-risky-red-sea) — Asian Refiners Ask to Pick Up Saudi Oil Outside Risky Red Sea - [Oil Price](https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Asian-Refiners-Seek-Alternative-Pickup-Point-for-Saudi-Crude.html) — Asian Refiners Seek Alternative Pickup Point for Saudi Crude ## Questions **Why are Asian refiners asking for crude to be delivered at Sidi Kerir instead of Yanbu?** Asian refiners have asked Saudi Aramco to deliver September crude at Egypt’s Sidi Kerir port instead of Yanbu on the Red Sea due to security risks. Houthi attacks on tankers and energy infrastructure in the Red Sea have made shipowners reluctant to navigate the area, as reported by Bloomberg and Oil Price. **Which refiners were asked to collect crude from Sidi Kerir?** Saudi Aramco asked refiners in Japan and South Korea to collect their September crude allocations from Sidi Kerir, while those in China, Taiwan and India were mostly directed to Yanbu, according to the Times of India and Oil Price. **What is the risk of shipping crude from Sidi Kerir to Asia?** The higher cost of shipping crude from Sidi Kerir around Africa to Asia may lead at least one refiner to skip its monthly allocation, traders told Bloomberg. The longer route increases expenses, which could outweigh the benefits of avoiding the Red Sea. **Is Aramco offering crude outside the Strait of Hormuz?** Yes, Saudi Aramco is privately negotiating crude deliveries outside the Strait of Hormuz with some Asian refiners, a strategy similar to that used by ADNOC, as reported by Reuters and Business Standard. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/business/asian-refiners-seek-saudi-aramco-crude-outside-red-sea-over-security-risks. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Asian refiners seek Saudi Aramco crude outside Red Sea over security risks", https://mediabias.news/business/asian-refiners-seek-saudi-aramco-crude-outside-red-sea-over-security-risks