# Gulf Crude Exports Return to Prewar Levels as Fuel Flows Lag

By Enna Lee

Canonical URL: https://www.tokenpost.com/news/investing/25935
Published: 2026-09-30T18:13:01.000Z
Updated: 2026-09-30T18:13:01.000Z
Section: Investing

> Crude shipments from Gulf producers excluding Iran reached 16.5 million barrels per day in September, while refined-product flows through Hormuz remained far below prewar levels.

Crude exports from Middle East Gulf producers excluding Iran returned to their prewar average in September, but fuel shipments through the Strait of Hormuz remained sharply constrained as trade routes shifted and tanker movements required U.S. protection.

At least 16.5 million barrels per day of crude left the region from Sept. 1 through Sept. 28. About 60% of that volume, or 9.9 million barrels per day, physically crossed Hormuz. The remainder moved through alternative ports, pipelines or the Red Sea.

Refined-product shipments through the strait averaged 677,000 barrels per day as of Sept. 28, compared with 3.6 million barrels per day before the war. Crude and refined-product flows combined reached 14.2 million barrels per day, about 80% of the reported prewar baseline of 17 million barrels per day.

More than 70% of crude crossing Hormuz in August changed tankers offshore in the Gulf of Oman. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates also expanded pipeline and alternative-port exports, while shuttle tankers transferred cargoes near Fujairah or Sohar for onward voyages. The recovery’s durability depends on the continued protection of tanker movements and the costly transfer system.