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Saudi Arabia lifts entry ban from 11 countries

  • Market: Oil products
  • 30/05/21

Saudi Arabia has lifted a ban on the entry of passengers arriving from 11 countries which was initially imposed three months ago to curb the spread of new and more infectious variants of the Covid-19 virus.

From today travellers from the UAE, the US, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, the UK, Sweden, Switzerland, France and Japan will once again be allowed to enter the kingdom, Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) announced, as these countries are all considered to have controlled the spread of the virus at home.

Saudi Arabia imposed entry restrictions on these 11 countries and seven more in early February in an effort to combat the spread of Covid-19.

But a ban on entry from at least 13 other countries where the Covid-19 situation is still deemed to be a concern, remains in place. These are Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Iran, Turkey, Armenia, Libya, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Afghanistan, Venezuela, Belarus, and India.

This latest move comes just two weeks after Saudi Arabia reopened all air, sea and land ports and restarted international flights on 17 May for the first time in a year, providing a much-needed boost to domestic jet fuel demand.

State-owned Saudia airlines said recently that it will operate 153 scheduled flights a week from the capital Riyadh and 178 flights from Jeddah in the west of the country. The airline said it will fly to 71 destinations, of which 28 are domestic and 43 are international.

An increase in international flights will support a recovery in Saudi Arabia's jet fuel demand, which has been mostly reliant on domestic flights, which have been operating since the middle of last year. Jet fuel demand in March dropped by 60pc on the month to 21,000 b/d, the lowest monthly level since April 2020, according to the latest data from the from the Joint Organisations Data Initiative (Jodi).


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19/02/25

Low water likely to persist at St Louis into March

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Houston, 19 February (Argus) — Low water conditions are expected to persist at St Louis through March, causing barge loading issues for both carriers and shippers. Minimal precipitation coupled with increased ice formation along the harbor decreased water levels to -3.3ft on 19 February at St Louis, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). Some terminals at the harbor have been unable to load and unload barges because of the low water. Carriers expect this to become a larger issue when barges carrying northbound products reach St Louis in March. Although low water has been an issue at the harbor since early January, more barge carriers and shippers began to prepare for slipping water levels when grain barge movement picked up later that month. Some barge carriers have reduced the amount of product placed in barges in order to keep drafts from dipping below 9.6ft this week. Low water levels are anticipated to remain through 4 March, which may hinder barge loadings and increase delays at St Louis. St Louis has received less than an inch of rainfall over the past seven days, according to the NWS. There has been even less precipitation upriver in the Northern Plains over the past week. Larger ice formations have appeared in the harbor on account of freezing conditions. The city of St Louis is under winter weather advisory, and is forecast to receive 1-3in of snow between 18-19 February, according to NWS. By Meghan Yoyotte Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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Trump asserts power over independent agencies


19/02/25
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19/02/25

Trump asserts power over independent agencies

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Investor group urges BP to allow new climate vote


19/02/25
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19/02/25

Investor group urges BP to allow new climate vote

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France still net gasoline importer despite export rise


19/02/25
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19/02/25

France still net gasoline importer despite export rise

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Green marine fuel uptake slowed by regulations: GMF


19/02/25
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19/02/25

Green marine fuel uptake slowed by regulations: GMF

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