Energy giant Saudi Aramco has informally communicated to several Asian refiners that they will soon be able to load oil from the Red Sea port of Yanbu, Bloomberg reported Tuesday, citing traders familiar with the matter.
Informal assurances by executives at the state-controlled oil major were given to at least three fuel processors instead of official notices. However, no timelines were provided, the traders said.
Yanbu loadings have been effectively halted since the closure of the East-West pipeline after a drone attack on Sept. 10. The pipeline supplies about 4 million barrels of oil a day to the port.
The pipeline closure has delayed scheduled Yanbu loadings for some of those Asian refiners who received the notification from Aramco, with their vessels already near the port or heading toward it, the report said.
has reached out to Saudi Aramco separately for a comment.
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