en.Wedoany.com Reported - As of August 13, affected by disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea, Saudi Aramco is handling September crude allocations for some long-term Asian clients on a case-by-case basis. Three sources familiar with the matter said this arrangement differs from the company's usual unified monthly allocation confirmation process.

Under the normal procedure, long-term clients submit loading requests after Saudi Aramco announces its official selling prices at the start of the month, and the company typically notifies clients of final allocations around the 10th of each month. Four Chinese buyers had still not received September allocation notices this week, with two of them in separate negotiations with Saudi Aramco over loading volumes.

One Indian refiner has received its full allocation, but due to uncertainties in tanker availability and loading port arrangements, the volume cannot yet be considered final liftable cargo. Saudi crude is typically sold on a free-on-board basis, requiring buyers to arrange their own vessels, and the number of shipowners currently willing to enter the Strait of Hormuz or the Red Sea to load at Saudi Arabia's main export ports is limited.

Saudi Aramco previously cut the official selling price for Arab Light crude sold to Asia in September to a discount of $2 per barrel against the Oman-Dubai average, the lowest level since June 2020. The price cut has not eliminated delivery risks arising from vessel scheduling, route safety, and transportation costs.

Saudi Arabia has also offered clients alternative cargoes loaded from the port of Sidi Kerir on Egypt's Mediterranean coast, but the detour would extend voyage times to Asian refineries and increase freight costs, limiting Asian buyers' appetite for taking delivery. Kpler data shows Saudi Arabia exported approximately 4.9 million barrels per day of crude to Asia on average in 2025, with related loading volumes falling to below 3 million barrels per day in July 2026.