Saudi Arabia Has Just 5–7 Days of Oil Export Storage at Yanbu, Sources Say

Saudi Arabia has enough crude oil stored at its Yanbu hub to cover only around five to seven days of exports, according to three sources familiar with the situation.

The kingdom also has a smaller volume of oil stored in Egypt, providing an additional but limited buffer as regional attacks and shipping disruptions put pressure on Saudi export routes.

Yanbu becomes critical as alternative routes face pressure

Yanbu, on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast, has become increasingly important as the kingdom seeks alternatives to the Strait of Hormuz during heightened regional tensions.

Saudi crude loadings from Yanbu have recently increased, but attacks affecting energy infrastructure and shipping routes have raised concerns about how long stored supplies could sustain exports if normal flows are disrupted.

Limited storage adds pressure on Saudi oil exports

A five-to-seven-day storage cushion would leave Saudi Arabia with limited room to maintain current export levels during a prolonged interruption.

The situation is particularly sensitive because the kingdom’s East-West Pipeline, which carries crude toward the Red Sea, has also faced disruption following recent attacks.

Any prolonged outage affecting the pipeline, Yanbu or Red Sea shipping could further tighten global oil supplies and add pressure to already elevated energy prices.