ARAMCO EYES RED SEA OIL ROUTE TO BYPASS BLOCKED HORMUZ Saudi Aramco is urgently exploring plans to export more crude via its Red Sea port of Yanbu to sidestep the effectively closed Strait of Hormuz. The world’s biggest oil exporter normally ships most cargoes from Persian Gulf terminals, but last weekend’s strike has left dozens of vessels stranded. Aramco’s 5-million-barrel-a-day east-west pipeline can now divert oil straight to the Red Sea. The company has already asked Asian buyers and shippers to switch loadings to Yanbu, according to people familiar with the talks. It has also shut its giant Ras Tanura refinery after a drone strike, raising fears of full storage tanks and possible production cuts.(*Walter Bloomberg)