Pakistan has started importing crude oil through the Red Sea route after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz disrupted shipments in the wake of the conflict in the Middle East.
Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC) vessel has reached Yanbu port in Saudi Arabia and will depart for Karachi on Thursday carrying 73,000 tonnes of crude oil, the sources said. Another PNSC vessel, Shalamar, has also managed to load oil from the Fujairah port and is now heading towards Karachi.
Shipping sources said the disruption in the Strait of Hormuz has affected several vessels, with two PNSC ships currently stranded near Karachi and at a charter port due to the ongoing situation.
The developments come as the ongoing Middle East war has severely disrupted energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global oil transit route.
