A still photo of Egypt’s Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Karim Badawi during the cabinet meeting on Tuesday
During a government press conference, Petroleum Minister Karim Badawi said Egypt has the capacity to transport Saudi crude loaded at Yanbu port across the Red Sea to the Mediterranean via the SUMED pipeline and its associated terminals.
The comments followed a Reuters report citing three sources who said Saudi Aramco is seeking to reroute some crude exports to the Red Sea to bypass Hormuz, where security risks have disrupted maritime traffic. According to the report, Aramco has told some buyers that cargoes will be loaded from Yanbu instead of Gulf terminals, while it continues to assess demand and supply.
Yanbu, on Saudi Arabia’s western Red Sea coast, lies opposite Egypt’s port of Ain Sokhna near the southern entrance of the Suez Canal, providing a potential corridor for crude transfers across the Red Sea and onward through Egypt’s pipeline network.
The SUMED pipeline runs from Ain Sokhna on the Red Sea to the Mediterranean coast west of Alexandria, offering an alternative export route that avoids the Strait of Hormuz.
Oil markets have reacted sharply to the US-Israeli war on Iran. Brent crude briefly climbed above $80 a barrel, its highest level since at least January 2025, as vessels were attacked and shipping lanes disrupted.
On Monday, the Ras Tanura complex on Saudi Arabia’s eastern Gulf coast was targeted in an attack, according to a source cited by AFP. The facility is one of the largest refining and export hubs in the Middle East and a key pillar of Saudi oil infrastructure.
The complex also serves as one of the world's biggest oil ports.
Short link: