Saudi Arabia's crude exports rose in October compared with September, according to two of three ship-tracking firms, even as attacks on Gulf shipping and claims of strikes on Saudi energy facilities continued through the month.

TankerTrackers.com put Saudi exports at about 7.9 million barrels per day for the first 29 days of October, up from 5.8 million barrels per day in September, as reported on 30 October 2026. Petro-Logistics also reported higher loadings, including stronger exports from the Red Sea port of Yanbu after a dip in September.

Why the headline numbers disagree

The picture is far from clean. A third tracker, Kpler, showed the opposite direction, at 5.72 million barrels per day so far in October against 6.70 million in September. That gap matters: readers should treat any single October figure as an estimate, not a final official total, and later revisions are likely.

Part of the uncertainty comes from tankers switching off their tracking signals to reduce risk, making flows through the Strait of Hormuz harder to count. Petro-Logistics said total volumes leaving through the strait had fallen by 2 to 3 million barrels per day from peak levels seen earlier in October, even while Saudi exports overall were set to end the month higher than in September.

What kept exports moving

Reports also point to Saudi Arabia resuming operations on its East-West pipeline after an attack the previous month, reopening a route that lets crude reach both Red Sea and Gulf terminals. That flexibility helps explain how loadings could stay strong while Hormuz traffic itself remained disrupted and difficult to measure.

Sources

Maritime Professional: Saudi Crude Oil Exports Rise in October
TradingView / Seeking Alpha: Saudi oil exports near wartime highs despite ongoing attacks, ship trackers say