Asian countries most vulnerable to Strait of Hormuz blockade

More than fractional of the lipid imported by East Asia passes done the Strait of Hormuz, experts estimate. Photo: Karim SAHIB / AFP/File
Source: AFP

Around 84 percent of lipid passing done the Strait of Hormuz is destined for Asia, leaving the economies of China, India, South Korea and others susceptible should Iran blockade the important trading way implicit US strikes connected its atomic sites.

Around 14.2 cardinal barrels of crude lipid and 5.9 cardinal barrels of different petroleum products walk done the strait per time -- representing astir 20 percent of planetary accumulation successful the archetypal quarter, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).

And crude lipid from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar and Iran astir exclusively passes done the corridor.

Here are the main Asian countries wherever lipid exported via the strait is destined:

China

More than fractional of the lipid imported by East Asia passes done the Strait of Hormuz, experts estimate.

China is 1 of the largest buyers, importing 5.4 cardinal barrels of crude lipid a time done Hormuz successful the archetypal 4th this year, according to the EIA.

Saudi Arabia is China's second-largest supplier of crude oil, accounting for 15 percent of its full lipid imports -- 1.6 cardinal barrels a day.

China besides buys much than 90 percent of Iran's lipid exports, according to the investigation steadfast Kpler.

It imported 1.3 cardinal barrels of Iranian crude lipid a time successful April, down from a five-month precocious successful March.

India

India is highly babelike connected the Strait of Hormuz, importing 2.1 cardinal barrels of crude a time done the corridor successful the archetypal quarter, EIA information shows.

Around 53 percent of India's imported lipid successful aboriginal 2025 came from Middle Eastern suppliers, peculiarly Iraq and Saudi Arabia, section media reported.

Wary of an escalating struggle successful the Middle East, New Delhi has accrued its imports of Russian lipid implicit the past 3 years.

"We person been intimately monitoring the evolving geopolitical concern successful the Middle East since the past 2 weeks," India's Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri said connected Sunday.

"We person diversified our supplies successful the past fewer years and a ample measurement of our supplies bash not travel done the Strait of Hormuz now," helium wrote connected X, adding "We volition instrumentality each indispensable steps to guarantee stableness of supplies of substance to our citizens."

South Korea

Around 68 percent of South Korea's crude lipid imports walk done the Strait of Hormuz -- 1.7 cardinal barrels a time this year, according to the EIA.

South Korea is peculiarly babelike connected its main supplier Saudi Arabia, which past twelvemonth accounted for a 3rd of its lipid imports.

Seoul's commercialized and vigor ministry said determination person been "no disruptions truthful acold successful South Korea's crude lipid and LNG imports" but "given the anticipation of a proviso crisis", officials were "planning for imaginable disruptions successful the Strait of Hormuz".

"The authorities and industry stakeholders person prepared for emergencies by maintaining a strategical petroleum reserve equivalent to astir 200 days of supply," the ministry said successful a statement.

Japan

Japan imports 1.6 cardinal barrels of crude lipid a time done the Strait of Hormuz, the EIA says.

Japanese customs information showed 95 percent of crude lipid imports past twelvemonth came from the Middle East.

The country's vigor freight companies are readying for a imaginable blockade of the strait.

"We're presently taking measures to shorten arsenic overmuch arsenic imaginable the clip spent by our vessels successful the Gulf," shipping elephantine Mitsui OSK told AFP.

Others

Around 2 cardinal barrels of crude lipid passing done the Strait of Hormuz each time successful the archetypal 4th were destined for different parts of Asia -- peculiarly Thailand and the Philippines -- arsenic good arsenic Europe (0.5 cardinal barrels) and the United States (0.4 cardinal barrels).

Limited alternatives

Asian countries could diversify their lipid suppliers, but it is hard to regenerate the ample volumes coming from the Middle East.

In the abbreviated term, "elevated planetary lipid inventories, OPEC+'s disposable spare capacity, and US shale accumulation each could supply immoderate buffer", experts astatine MUFG Bank said.

"However, a afloat closure of the Hormuz Strait would inactive interaction connected the accessibility of a large portion of this spare accumulation capableness concentrated successful the Persian Gulf," they said.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE person infrastructure to bypass the strait, perchance mitigating disruptions, but their transit capableness remains precise constricted -- astir 2.6 cardinal barrels a day.

And the Goreh-Jask pipeline built by Iran to export via the Gulf of Oman, which has been inactive since past year, has a maximum capableness of lone 300,000 barrels per day, according to the EIA.

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Source: AFP