Kuwait Offers Oil to Asian Buyers for First Time Since War

By Yongchang Chin

Jun 9, 2026 (Bloomberg) –Kuwait is offering to sell its crude to refiners in Asia for the first time since the Iran war started, the latest indication of rising oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz.

At least 4 million barrels of the nation’s main export grade, carried on two very large crude carriers, are being offered to refiners in at least China and South Korea, traders familiar with the matter said, asking not to be identified as they’re not authorized to speak to the media.

The offers add to evidence that Hormuz flows are starting to open up — a trend that has coincided with increased US coordination of transits. The United Arab Emirates has also been selling millions of barrels of oil from inside the Persian Gulf to refiners in Asia. Still, flows remain far below pre-war levels.

Oil from the region’s fifth-largest producer loads from deep inside the Persian Gulf, requiring tankers to run the Hormuz gauntlet to reach global markets. It’s also a sign that Persian Gulf producers are increasingly able to send tankers out despite Tehran’s threat to shipping through the strait.

Traders said that the oil is being offered directly by state-owned Kuwait Petroleum Corp. rather than an intermediary. The barrels in question have already exited the waterway and can be taken to ports in Asia promptly, they said, without elaborating on the sales terms.

KPC declined to comment.

The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz has resulted in the worst supply disruption in history, with higher-sulfur barrels that are typical of the region all but cut off from refiners, especially in Asia, which have largely built their refining systems around supplies of such feedstock.

A wide range of players are working to bring supply to market, ranging from state producers like Abu Dhabi National Oil Co., to trading houses like Vitol Group and Mercuria Energy Group aiding with the shuttling of crude from within the Persian Gulf to buyers outside.

There’s been vessel activity around Kuwaiti ports recently. The supertankers Al Riqqa and Dar Salwa were last observed moored at Kuwait’s Mina Al Ahmadi terminal in late May and early June, respectively, before their satellite-tracking transponders stopped signaling, according to vessel-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. Their current positions are unclear.

Among earlier voyages, the supertanker Universal Winner, carrying Kuwaiti crude to South Korea, transited the strait in May via what appeared to be a route approved by Iranian authorities. The Japan-linked Eneos Endeavor also crossed the chokepoint during the month carrying a cargo of Kuwaiti and Emirati crude. Traders said the earlier flows were likely done with the help of other trading intermediaries.

Ongoing disruptions to transponder transmissions continue to obscure vessel movements, raising the likelihood that current transit counts understate actual traffic levels.

© 2026 Bloomberg L.P.

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