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Market Chatter: 2nd Supertanker at Saudi Oil Hub Signals Rising Gulf Loadings

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A second supertanker has been spotted at Saudi Arabia's main Persian Gulf oil export hub, suggesting crude loadings may be increasing as threats mount to the kingdom's alternative Red Sea shipping route, Bloomberg reported on Thursday.

A Sentinel-2 satellite image taken Thursday reportedly showed a very large crude carrier, capable of carrying about 2 million barrels, moored at a Ju'aymah loading point at the Ras Tanura complex. Another tanker seen there earlier this week had departed.

The Saudi Ministry of Energy did not immediately respond to a request for comment from.

Riyadh has redirected oil shipments to Red Sea ports during the Iran war, but Houthi attacks are increasingly threatening that route. The Houthis on Thursday claimed another strike on Saudi Aramco's Jazan refinery.

(Market Chatter news is derived from conversations with market professionals globally. This information is believed to be from reliable sources but may include rumor and speculation. Accuracy is not guaranteed.)

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