• 3 min de lectura
• 3 min de lectura
By Julian Lee and Priyanjana Bengani
Jun 25, 2026 (Bloomberg) –Top oil exporter Saudi Arabia is set to restart loading crude at the giant Ras Tanura terminal inside the Persian Gulf, a landmark moment in the resumption of Middle Eastern supplies after the Iran war.
Two very large crude carriers owned by Saudi tanker giant Bahri are moving toward the offshore loading area called single-point moorings at Ju'aymah, according to vessel tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. A third ship is anchored nearby, the data show. No crude oil loadings have been observed at the terminal since early March.
The reopening of the Strait of Hormuz has already brought a gush of oil onto the global market, in part as barrels that were trapped inside the Persian Gulf during the war escape. While some Gulf producers continued to sail vessels through the waterway with their satellite transponders turned off during the conflict, Saudi Arabia's main loading terminal had been quiet, meaning a resumption there would mark a major step in boosting the region's flows.
The port of Ras Tanura is made up of three terminals: the Ju'aymah crude loading points, the Ju'aymah liquefied petroleum gas terminal and the Ras Tanura oil terminal. Between them, the two crude-oil facilities have the capacity to handle 12 tankers at a time.
The ships preparing to load are also the first Bahri vessels to enter the Gulf since the war began. All three — Zaynah, Amad and Qasba — were seen on tracking screens anchored outside the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, before reappearing at the Saudi terminal's anchorage earlier Thursday after crossing the waterway with their position signals off.
Bahri also has at least three more supertankers waiting outside Hormuz in the Gulf of Oman, and more vessels on their way, indicating the likelihood of additional loadings. The Saudi shipping major began sailing some of the vessels it had trapped inside the Persian Gulf out through Hormuz last week.
While the Iran war led to drastic cuts in how much oil passed through the Strait of Hormuz, Saudi Arabia was able to divert a chunk of its exports to an alternative port in the Red Sea, offering Riyadh greater flexibility about when it ramps up activity at its Gulf terminals.
Saudi Arabia's energy ministry didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Bloomberg's analysis of cargo activity uses automated ship position signals and satellite imagery to evaluate when ships have been at berths across the Persian Gulf. The images are not taken daily, meaning there's a possibility that ships could have loaded during days when satellites didn't pass over.
Fuente: GCAPTAIN_NEWS
