BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 24. Saudi Aramco can restore disrupted oil operations within days and is examining additional export routes to strengthen the resilience of the Kingdom’s crude supply network, according to the company’s President and CEO Amin Nasser.
Speaking to Nikkei Asia in Tokyo, Nasser said Aramco is studying a “fourth and a fifth route” for crude exports in addition to the three main routes currently available to the company.
Aramco is also considering expanding its overseas oil storage capacity, including in Japan, to improve its ability to respond to short-term supply disruptions. Nasser said discussions are under way with the relevant ministry and partners in Japan, while engineering and feasibility work is being carried out for the additional export routes.
According to Nasser, Aramco’s existing export options include shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea route via the East-West Pipeline and Bab al-Mandeb, as well as access to Egypt’s Sumed pipeline, which carries crude from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean.
The company’s contingency planning has gained importance amid disruptions to Saudi export infrastructure. A recent drone attack forced the shutdown of the East-West Pipeline and interrupted crude loadings at Yanbu, prompting Saudi Arabia to increase shipments from Gulf terminals.
Nasser stressed that Aramco has multiple options for redirecting supplies and continuing deliveries to customers when individual routes are disrupted.
