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Saudi Aramco Posts Higher Q1 Hydrocarbon Output Despite Middle East Conflict

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Saudi Aramco Sunday reported a year-over-year rise in hydrocarbon output despite interruptions from geopolitical tensions.

The company's hydrocarbon production averaged 12.6 million barrels of oil equivalent per day in Q1, up from 12.3 mmboe/d in the year-ago period, according to the latest earnings results. Liquid production grew year over year to 10.6 million barrels per day from 10.3 mmbbls/d, and gas output rose to 10.51 billion standard cubic feet per day from 10.25 bscf/d.

Aramco said it "rerouted crude oil volumes via the East-West pipeline to utilize alternative export routes, while also leveraging its domestic and international storage capacity."

To bypass the Strait of Hormuz, the company said it diverted crude oil exports to the west coast and "sharply ramped up" its East-West pipeline to maximum capacity of 7 mmbbls/d in Q1.

Aramco chief executive Amin Nasser, as cited by Reuters, said the company aims to sustain oil flow despite a constrained system, and intends to prioritize deliveries to Asia.

Nasser reportedly highlighted that energy markets will take time to recover even if flows through the Strait resume, with already 1 billion barrels of oil lost in the global market over the past two months due to the conflict.

In the downstream sector, Aramco's supply reliability eased to 96.3% in Q1 from 100% in the same quarter of 2025. The company's downstream facilities utilized around 51% of crude oil production, a decline from the previous year's 56%.

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