Egypt is planning to import at least one million barrels of Libyan crude oil per month, Bloomberg reported.
This strategic shift is designed to compensate for the total suspension of Kuwaiti oil supplies and ensure the stability of the domestic fuel market.
The decision comes as the Middle East faces an escalating regional crisis following the outbreak of war with Iran, which has led to a near-complete paralysis of maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz—the world’s most critical energy transit corridor.
A Strategic energy reorientation
The Hormuz bottleneck
The Strait of Hormuz, which typically handles 20% of the world’s daily oil supply, has been effectively closed since late February 2026 due to the ongoing conflict. This has forced major Gulf producers like Kuwait to trigger emergency exit from oil deals, as tankers are unable to safely navigate the Persian Gulf.
Replacing the Kuwaiti link
Historically, Egypt has relied on Kuwait for 1 to 2 million barrels of crude monthly to feed its domestic refineries. With that supply line severed, Cairo is leveraging its geographic proximity to Libya—which exports via Mediterranean ports—to bypass the blocked Gulf routes.
Economic safeguards
This move is part of a broader “Energy Security” plan by the Egyptian government. To manage the crisis, authorities have recently implemented energy-saving measures, including adjusted operating hours for commercial shops, to mitigate the impact of rising global oil prices and supply shortages.
The Libya-Egypt partnership
Beyond a temporary fix, this deal strengthens the 2024 Memorandum of Understanding between the two nations, which aims to integrate their petroleum sectors through shared exploration, refining, and potentially future pipeline projects.
