A second supertanker has seemingly docked at Saudi Arabia's main oil export terminal on the Persian Gulf, offering further evidence that loading activity at this key hub may be on the rise. This development comes as the kingdom's alternative shipping route through the Red Sea faces growing threats.

Satellite imagery from the European Union's Sentinel-2 program captured on Thursday revealed another Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) moored at a single-point mooring facility in Ju'aymah. These vessels are capable of carrying approximately 2 million barrels of crude oil. The Ju'aymah terminal is part of the larger Ras Tanura oil export complex. A nearby mooring facility, which had hosted another tanker on Tuesday, is now vacant.

Officials from Saudi Arabia's Energy Ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment. During the conflict between the US and Iran, the majority of Saudi oil exports that originally flowed through the Persian Gulf were redirected to export terminals on the kingdom's western Red Sea coast. This alternative route served as a crucial safety valve, helping to prevent a spike in global oil prices. However, the threat to this alternative path is escalating due to Yemen's Houthi militia, an ally of Iran, which has threatened to attack vessels calling at Saudi ports. On Thursday, the Houthis claimed to have launched another attack on Saudi Aramco's Jizan refinery on the Red Sea coast, highlighting the rising risk. This marks the second assault on the facility in less than a week.

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright stated on Tuesday that approximately 9 million barrels of oil per day had been shipped through the Strait of Hormuz over the past week, nearly half of the pre-conflict volume. The supertanker seen in Tuesday's satellite images was the first vessel of its size observed at the Ras Tanura export facility in nearly a month.

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