Turkey receives first emergency US oil shipment amid Hormuz crisis

Tuesday 12 May 2026 - 08:39

By: Dakir Madiha

Turkey receives first emergency US oil shipment amid Hormuz crisis

Turkey is preparing to receive its first ever emergency crude shipment from the United States Strategic Petroleum Reserve as Washington expands energy exports to allies facing supply disruptions linked to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Tanker tracking data showed that American reserve oil is already en route to Turkish ports, marking a new phase in the international response to the Gulf energy crisis.

The Greek flagged aframax tanker North Star loaded around 680,000 barrels of crude from the Bryan Mound Strategic Petroleum Reserve facility near Texas City in early April and is expected to arrive in Aliağa by mid May. A second vessel, the Hong Kong flagged DHT Antelope, loaded roughly 1.1 million barrels of sour crude through a ship to ship transfer near Galveston in late April and is also scheduled to unload in Turkey before the end of the month. Ship tracking data further indicated that reserve crude cargoes are heading toward Italy and the Netherlands as European refiners search for replacement supplies.

The emergency shipments form part of a coordinated release launched in March by 32 members of the International Energy Agency. Participating countries agreed to release around 400 million barrels from strategic reserves worldwide to stabilize markets after severe supply disruptions in the Gulf. The United States committed 172 million barrels over roughly 120 days. By late April, the US Department of Energy had already withdrawn 17.5 million barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

The crisis intensified after the American and Israeli military campaign against Iran began on February 28, leading Tehran to effectively shut down the Strait of Hormuz, a route that normally carries around 20 percent of global oil trade. Although a ceasefire was announced on April 8, shipping traffic through the strait remains far below prewar levels. President Donald Trump rejected Iran’s latest peace proposal on Sunday, calling it “totally unacceptable,” which renewed fears of prolonged instability in global energy markets.

Turkey faces direct exposure to the disruption because Gulf suppliers account for around 20 percent of its crude imports through Hormuz routes, according to assessments by the Turkish Parliament. At the same time, Ankara has strengthened its position as an alternative energy corridor following the resumption of exports through the Iraq Ceyhan pipeline in mid March. Flows through the route are expected to rise to 250,000 barrels per day in the coming months.

US crude exports surged to record levels during the crisis, reaching 5.2 million barrels per day in April, according to Kpler data, as buyers across Europe and Asia sought alternatives to Middle Eastern supplies. Analysts said the emergency reserve releases have helped contain deeper shortages but warned that sustained disruption in Hormuz could continue driving volatility across global oil markets.