One possible explanation for the build-up in tankers off Ain Sukhna is for greater subsequent deliveries into Europe via the SUMED pipeline – which runs from Ain Sukhna to the Mediterranean Egyptian port of Sidi Kerir.

Ain Sukhna is the starting point for the SUMED pipeline, which runs to a crude storage and loading terminal at Sidi Kerir on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast. The facilities are part-owned by several Middle Eastern oil producing countries, including Saudi Arabia, which is the biggest user of the system.