CCrude oil exports from the UAE have seen a decline this year, with the first quarter showing a decline. In its latest weekly report, shipbroker Panchero Costa said that “after a slight decline in 2024, when global crude oil shipments fell by -0.2% y/y, things have rebounded in 2025, with full-year volumes up +1.9% y/y. In January-March 2026, global crude oil shipments fell by -0.4% y/y to 528.9 million tons, excluding all shipping trades.” Coastal, according to Ship exports from the Persian Gulf fell by -13.9% y/y to 183.6 million tons in January-March 2026, representing 34.7% of global seaborne crude oil trade, reflecting the disruption caused by the ongoing war in the Persian Gulf. Exports from Russian ports (including oil of Kazakh origin shipped via the CPC terminal) fell by -1.2% y/y to 55.4. million tons in January-March 2026, or 10.5% of global trade. Exports from South America rose by +28.5% year-on-year to 67.6 million tons. From the United States, exports fell by -2.2% year-on-year to 45.4 million tons in January 2026. From West Africa, exports fell by -7.2% year-on-year to 40.0 million tons. ASEAN exports increased by +32.7% year-on-year to 30.4 million tons in January 2026 (this inevitably includes shipborne goods).
According to Panchero Costa, “In terms of demand (measured by access to ports of discharge), global seaborne crude oil imports totaled 545.0 million tons in January-March 2026, up +4.2% year-on-year. The largest seaborne crude oil importer in January-March 2026 was mainland China, accounting for 24.1% of global trade. Volumes coming into China increased by + 12.0% y/y to 131.2 million tons in January 2026, from 117.1 million tons in January 2025. Imports to the EU rose +1.2% y/y to 112.6 million tons, accounting for 20.7% of global trade and to ASEAN, imports fell by -3.8% y/y to 63.8 To South Korea, imports decreased by -6.8% year-on-year to 30.7 million tons. Imports to the United States of America increased by +28.6% year-on-year to 33.3 million tons in the period from January to March 2026. As for Japan, imports decreased by -11.9% year-on-year to 25.5 million tons.
“The UAE is the third-largest exporter of crude oil in the Middle East after Saudi Arabia and Iraq. It represents 6.8% of global seaborne crude oil exports. Total crude oil loadings from the UAE during the 12 months of 2025 rose +2.8% year-on-year to 150.3 million tons, according to ship tracking data from LSEG. This followed a +1.9% year-on-year increase in 2024. From January to March 2026, the UAE exported 33.3 million tons of crude oil, down 2.9% year-on-year from 34.3 million tons in the same period in 2025. The vast majority of UAE oil exports are shipped from the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, west of the Strait of Hormuz – in January 2025, they amounted to 47.7 million tons from Zirkuh Island, and 29.9 million tons from Zirkuh Island. Zirkuh. One million tons were shipped from Das Island, 14.9 million tons from Jebel Dhanna/Al-Ruwais, 1.0 million tons from Mubarraz Island, and about 3.0 million tons from the Emirate of Dubai, mostly from the Al-Fateh terminal, and the remaining third of the UAE’s exports were shipped from the eastern coast of the Strait of Hormuz – 53.4 million tons from Fujairah, and 0.3 million tons from Khor Fakkan (part of the Emirate of Sharjah). 
“The vast majority of UAE crude oil exports are loaded on VLCCs. In January 2025, 131.6 million tons were loaded on VLCCs, 13.7 million tons on Suez Max tankers, and 4.9 million tons on Aframax crude tankers. Trade patterns for UAE crude oil exports tend to be long-haul, with the vast majority of volumes going to Asia. The ASEAN region accounts for 25.6% of UAE crude oil exports. United Arab Emirates in 2020. January-December 2025. Exports to ASEAN rose +6.6% year-on-year in January-December 2025 to 38.5 million tons, with about 22.9% of shipments in 2025 going to Japan. Exports to Japan decreased by -4.6% year-on-year in the period from January to December 2025 to 34.4 million tons, and China accounted for 22.0% of the UAE’s exports in the period from January to December. Banchero Costa concluded that exports to China increased by +10.6% year-on-year in the period from January to December 2025 to 33.1 million tons. 14.6% of UAE exports in the period from January to December 2025 were to India. Shipments to India rose +17.2% year-on-year in January-December 2025 to 21.9 million tons.
Nikos Rousanoglou, Global Hellenic Shipping News
