OPEC oil output fell to its lowest level in over two decades in April as the US-Israeli conflict with Iran disrupted Gulf exports and effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz, according to a Reuters analysis on Monday.
The Reuters analysis cited data from LSEG, tanker-tracking firms including Kpler, sources at oil companies, OPEC, and industry consultants.
Production from the 12-member Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries dropped by 830,000 barrels per day over the month to 20.04 million b/d in April, the survey showed. This marked OPEC's lowest output since at least 2000, excluding later changes in membership.
Reuters also revised March production down by 700,000 b/d following an update to its Saudi Arabia estimate.
The decline came despite plans by eight OPEC+ producers, including Russia, to begin raising output in April under an agreement to gradually unwind supply cuts.
Those hikes failed to materialize after the outbreak of war with Iran on Feb. 28 severely disrupted tanker traffic through Hormuz, a critical export route for Gulf oil producers.
Kuwait recorded the largest drop in production during April after enduring a full month of export disruptions, Reuters said. Saudi Arabia and Iraq also posted declines in output.
The UAE was the only Gulf producer to increase production during the month, aided by export infrastructure that bypasses the Strait of Hormuz. Tanker-tracking data indicated higher UAE exports in April.
Outside the Gulf, Venezuela and Libya also raised output, partially offsetting losses elsewhere in the group.