OPEC Oil Production Sees Historic Decline Amid Middle East Conflict

OPEC's oil production experienced its largest decline in over four decades in March due to disruptions in exports from key member countries amid Middle East conflicts. According to Odaily, a survey revealed that OPEC's daily output plummeted by 7.56 million barrels, or approximately 25%, to 22 million barrels. This marks the most significant monthly drop since data compilation began in 1989, surpassing the 1973 Arab oil embargo in terms of barrel count. Daniel Yergin's book, "The Prize," notes that during the 1973 crisis, the market faced a daily loss of 5 million barrels from October to December, although the global market was much smaller at that time. The survey indicated that Iraq, heavily reliant on the Strait of Hormuz, saw the largest production decrease among OPEC members, with a reduction of 2.76 million barrels per day to 1.63 million barrels. Saudi Arabia and the UAE followed, although they managed to partially reroute exports through alternative oil pipelines. Saudi Arabia's daily production fell by 2.07 million barrels to 8.36 million barrels, while the UAE's output decreased by 1.44 million barrels to 2.16 million barrels. Despite Saudi Arabia's ability to export via the Red Sea, tanker tracking data showed a roughly 50% decline in its exports in March.