The U.S. nearly turned into a net crude exporter last week for the first time since World War Two as shipments surged close to a record high to meet demand from Asian and European buyers scrambling to replace Middle East supplies cut by the Iran war, Reuters reported.
The U.S. and Israel's war with Iran triggered the largest ever disruption to the global energy market as Iranian threats to shipping stopped around a fifth of the world's oil and gas supplies from transiting the Strait of Hormuz waterway.
Refiners in Asia and Europe that depend on those supplies have bought alternative cargoes from wherever they can, sharply boosting demand for oil from the U.S., the world's largest producer.
However, analysts and traders say the U.S. is rapidly approaching its export capacity.
Net imports of crude oil, or the difference between imports and exports, narrowed to 66,000 barrels per day last week, the lowest on record in weekly data that goes back to 2001, according to U.S. government data released on Wednesday, while exports climbed to 5.2 million bpd, the highest in seven months.
On an annual basis, the U.S. was last a net exporter of crude in 1943, data showed.
Rising U.S. crude exports are evidence that Atlantic Basin and Asian buyers are reaching further out for available supply, with regional oil price differences making up for the costs of shipping, said Rystad vice president of oil markets, Janiv Shah.
Countries such as Greece have snapped up U.S. crude for the first time ever in recent months.
About 2.4 million bpd, or some 47% of U.S. exports last week sailed toward Europe, according to ship tracking service Kpler. Around 1.49 million bpd, or about 37%, headed to Asia, up from 30% a year ago.
Top buyers included the Netherlands, Japan, France, Germany and South Korea.
A vessel carrying 500,000 barrels of crude signaled it was en route to Turkey, which would mark the first U.S. export to the country in at least a year, Kpler data showed.
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