-- Oil producers in the Middle East have asked Asian buyers for their April and May crude oil loading programs, to export crude as soon as the Strait of Hormuz reopens, following the US-Iran ceasefire deal, Reuters reported Friday, citing sources.
Saudi Aramco has reportedly asked its clients to submit nominations for May cargoes loading from both of its eastern Ras Tanura port and western Yanbu port.
Exports from Ras Tanura port will remain subject to Hormuz reopening.
Yanbu loadings in the Red Sea, meanwhile, could be impacted by recent attacks on Saudi's East-West pipeline, which have damaged a pumping station, effectively reducing pipeline capacity by 700,000 barrels per day.
The company had earlier said that April cargoes would be loaded from Yanbu port. It uses the pipeline to divert crude from east to west, bypassing the Strait.
Saudi Aramco did not immediately respond to' request for comment.
Sources also told Reuters that Kuwait Petroleum has provided loading dates for Kuwait Export Crude sold in April, and that cargo nominations were ongoing, subject to customers' ability to lift the cargoes.
Shipping restrictions prompted the company to declare a force majeure on delivered crude cargoes last month.
Meanwhile, Iraqi oil marketer Somo has asked customers for their crude loading schedules, after Iran reportedly granted Iraq an exemption from Hormuz passage restrictions, according to Reuters.
Indian and South Korean refiners were reportedly seeking tankers to load Iraqi crude this month.
has reached out to Kuwait Petroleum and Somo for comments.
Commodities trader Glencore (GLEN) and Taiwan's state refiner CPC have also chartered vessels to load Middle Eastern crude, as Asian buyers seek to load oil from the Persian Gulf following the ceasefire, the news agency said.
(Market Chatter news is derived from conversations with market professionals globally. This information is believed to be from reliable sources but may include rumor and speculation. Accuracy is not guaranteed.)