Taiwan will redirect ships to bring crude oil from Saudi Arabian Red Sea ports, the government said today, as it seeks to avoid the disruption in the Strait of Hormuz.

Oil prices have soared due to the West Asia war. Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz — a critical route for global crude oil and gas — in retaliation for U.S.-Israeli strikes.

Taiwan relied on the West Asia for nearly 70% of its oil imports in 2025, with Saudi Arabia accounting for almost 29%, official data show.

Other West Asia sources were the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Iraq. The United States supplied just over 28%.

“We have worked to adjust shipping routes so that shipments leave via the Red Sea, or we use spot purchases to make up the difference,” Tsou Yu-hsin, deputy director general of the Industrial Development Administration in the Ministry of Economic Affairs, said.

-AFP