Red Sea vs Arabian Gulf: Comparing the Fixing Activity Behind the Barrels

AI Summary

A comparative analysis of tanker fixing activity highlights the dynamics at two strategic crude oil gateways: Saudi Arabia's Red Sea port Yanbu and the Arabian Gulf complex extending from Fujairah to the UAE.

Over the spring of 2026, we logged 354 reported tanker fixtures across two of the Middle East’s principal crude gateways and set them side by side to compare how each region’s fixing activity behaves: Yanbu on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast and the wider Arabian Gulf (AG) complex stretching from Fujairah and the UAE to ...