OPEC Output Falls 830,000 Bpd to 20.04 Million, Lowest Since 2000
Updated
Updated · OilPrice.com · May 11
OPEC Output Falls 830,000 Bpd to 20.04 Million, Lowest Since 2000
3 articles · Updated · OilPrice.com · May 11
20.04 million bpd marked OPEC’s average April output, down 830,000 bpd from March and the group’s lowest level in 26 years.
Persian Gulf conflict drove the drop: Kuwait reportedly exported zero crude through the Strait of Hormuz bottleneck, while Saudi Arabia and Iraq shut in production after attacks on energy infrastructure.
Saudi output slid toward 7 million bpd, including about 600,000 bpd of lost capacity from damaged facilities, though the kingdom kept moving oil via its 1,200-km East-West Pipeline to Yanbu on the Red Sea.
The UAE was the only Gulf member to raise output, using Fujairah on the Gulf of Oman to bypass Hormuz; Libya and Venezuela also increased production, but not enough to offset Gulf disruptions.
Those gains underline a widening split inside OPEC, with members that have export routes outside Hormuz or recovering capacity better positioned to withstand the regional shock.
With the Hormuz Strait and its bypasses under attack, is the era of secure Middle Eastern oil over?
Can Venezuela and Libya's oil comeback offset the Gulf's chaos, or is it too little, too late?
Beyond oil, how does the AI boom’s energy thirst create the next global security chokepoint?
2026 Oil Crisis: OPEC Output Collapse, Strait of Hormuz Blockade, and the UAE’s Breakaway
Overview
In April 2026, the global oil market was hit by a severe crisis as OPEC’s crude output dropped sharply, mainly due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz amid the escalating U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. This vital shipping route’s shutdown left Gulf OPEC members unable to export their oil, causing production cuts and shifting market influence to other regions. The disruption triggered a surge in oil prices, inflation, and economic instability worldwide, while also exposing the vulnerabilities of relying on fossil fuel supply chains and prompting both immediate market responses and longer-term shifts toward energy security and diversification.