Gulf Oil Producers Push Consumers to Fund Supply Chain Security

Saudi Aramco CEO Amin Nasser told the 2026 Energy Intelligence Forum in London that infrastructure projects, including new transit routes and overseas storage facilities, are no longer optional. He emphasized that every disruption creates a global price tag, affecting market stability and livelihoods. The call comes as producers grapple with the logistical nightmare of moving crude out of the region following the Iranian closure of the Strait.

Kuwait is already pursuing this strategy, negotiating with European partners to establish refined product storage closer to end-users. Sheikh Nawaf Saud Al-Sabah, CEO of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, urged European buyers to commit to the necessary logistical investments to facilitate these reserves. Meanwhile, Iraq is exploring the revival of an aging pipeline to the Syrian coast to circumvent the bottleneck entirely.

These initiatives follow a period of intense volatility. Saudi Arabia’s attempt to pivot supply through the East-West pipeline to the Red Sea faltered last month when drone strikes forced a two-week shutdown for repairs. As shuttle-shipping operations on smaller tankers become the new, costly standard, Gulf producers are signaling that they will no longer absorb these security costs in isolation.