UAE Oil Exports Reach 3.94 Million Barrels a Day in June, Near Prewar Levels

Key Facts

The UAE exported 3.94 million barrels a day of crude oil and condensates in June, its highest monthly total in the previous 12 months, according to data from Kpler cited by The National on July 2. Exports had fallen to a record low of 2.13 million barrels a day in March, when the closure of the Strait of Hormuz curtailed shipments. The newspaper said June’s volume was 27% above the 12-month average. It also came close to, but did not exceed, the highest level recorded since 2017. The figures reflect a rapid recovery in shipments after routes were disrupted, but do not mean exports had fully returned to prewar levels.

The recovery was spread across loading terminals and export routes. Zirku Island shipped 1.06 million barrels a day in June, an increase of nearly 15% over its prewar average, making it the largest loading point for crude produced in Abu Dhabi’s offshore fields, according to The National. Das Island, which has an older terminal and also processes gas, saw shipments return to 667,000 barrels a day, close to its usual rate. Shipments from the island had fallen to 194,000 barrels a day in the first weeks of the war. The figures show the recovery was not limited to a single export route, but covered several major terminals.

Meanwhile, Fujairah on the Gulf of Oman became more important as an outlet that bypasses the Strait of Hormuz. The newspaper reported that port exports since the start of the war had risen to 74% above their prewar average. Crude reaches the port through the Habshan-Fujairah pipeline, which bypasses the strait and has a stated capacity of up to 1.8 million barrels a day. According to the International Energy Agency, the pipeline runs 380 kilometres from the production hub at Habshan to Fujairah, while the “Mendous” underground storage complex near the port has capacity of 42 million barrels. This infrastructure gives the UAE an alternative export route alongside shipments passing through Hormuz.

Oil flows linked to the UAE through the Strait of Hormuz also rebounded strongly. They rose from 11,300 barrels a day in March to 2.1 million barrels a day in June, coming within 5% of their prewar level, according to data cited by the newspaper. At the same time, net exports through the Gulf of Oman increased from 303,000 barrels a day in April to 961,000 in June, more than tripling. The simultaneous rise in both routes indicates that total shipments increased as much of the traffic through the strait returned and growing volumes continued to flow through Fujairah. This diversity reduces export dependence on a single route, while shipping through the strait remains exposed to changes in security conditions.

International Energy Agency data provide a broader estimate of exports: the agency said total UAE oil exports reached 4.3 million barrels a day in early June, compared with 1.9 million in March. That was about 85% of prewar levels, indicating a strong but incomplete recovery at the start of the month. This estimate differs from Kpler’s figure of 3.94 million barrels a day for June crude and condensate shipments, as the sources cover different totals and time periods. Separately, The National said the UAE’s exit from OPEC in May added to the increase in exports by removing the group’s quota restrictions. The newspaper cited this alongside the recovery of infrastructure, not as the sole factor behind shipment growth.

Reliance on alternative Gulf routes extended to Saudi exports through Yanbu and UAE exports through Fujairah. The International Energy Agency said combined shipments through the two ports rose from 4.1 million barrels a day in February to a peak of 7.8 million in June, before falling to 5.5 million in August after attacks in the Red Sea. In its October report, the agency said crude exports from Gulf producers rose by 4.4 million barrels a day to 13.9 million in September, exceeding 75% of prewar levels. But it said renewed attacks on energy infrastructure and tanker traffic threatened the recovery’s continuation. This places June’s export rebound within a broader regional trend that later saw shifts in volumes and routes.

In the market, the International Energy Agency said Brent futures had risen 13% since the start of September to about $107 a barrel, amid renewed fighting and attacks on energy facilities. The agency forecast average global oil supply of 101.4 million barrels a day in the second half of 2026, compared with 96.4 million in the second quarter. It linked this to an expected increase in supply, while pointing to rising security concerns and an increase in Houthi attacks in October. These developments underscore that the UAE’s recovery of export routes in June took place in a market still affected by shifting risks to infrastructure and shipping lanes. Figures for subsequent months show that the regional recovery was not linear.