Crude oil exports out of the U.S. Gulf Coast soared above 5 MMb/d (far right of graph below) for the week ended Friday, April 17, skyrocketing to the highest volume since September 2023. The 18% week-over-week increase was driven primarily by a surge in flows to the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, which accounted for roughly half of total exports for the week at 2.5 MMb/d, the highest volume bound for the region since June 2024.
As discussed in this week's Crude Voyager, on a more granular level, the gain was underpinned by a sharp increase in long-haul movements, with ten Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) loaded during the week, more than triple the number loaded the prior week and well above the 2026 year-to-date average of four. Nine of these ten VLCCs are bound for APAC destinations, while an additional nine VLCCs entered the Gulf for use in future loading operations. Regionally, Houston took center stage while exporting a record high 2.1 MMb/d, supported by strong terminal activity across the board.
