State giant Aramco has already pushed five supertankers through the vital waterway, with four more vessels currently stationed at the Ras Tanura port. Shipping data confirms that the initial wave of exports is headed toward China and Japan. This shift marks a strategic departure from the emergency reliance on the East-West pipeline, which allowed Saudi Arabia to bypass the strait by rerouting supply to the Yanbu port on the Red Sea.

To move these volumes quickly, the kingdom has pivoted toward aggressive spot sales. By offering cargoes at prices more competitive than standard official selling rates, Riyadh is courting Chinese buyers and attempting to secure market share before regional competitors ramp up their own logistics. This surge in supply, coupled with a sharp decline in Middle Eastern crude benchmarks over the past three weeks, has traders anticipating significant cuts to Aramco’s August pricing for Asian buyers. The resumption of traffic through Hormuz offers necessary relief for Gulf producers, though it simultaneously intensifies the scramble for dominance in the high-demand Asian sector.