Hormuz Strait Tensions: Indonesia's Saudi Oil Shipments Under Strain

Jakarta — The Commission XII of the Indonesian House of Representatives has revealed that escalating conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran in the Middle East is beginning to impact Indonesia’s energy supply chain.

With conditions in the Persian Gulf region intensifying and the Strait of Hormuz facing closures, this has caused disruptions to cargo distribution from Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern nations to several countries, including Indonesia.

Bambang Patijaya, Chairman of Commission XII, indicated that certain shipments from Saudi Arabia destined for Indonesia are now being held up.

“Yes, so indeed with the war between America and Israel against Iran, this is impacting supply because it especially goes through the Strait of Hormuz. At present, there is cargo held up from Saudi Arabia bound for Indonesia,” Bambang told CNBC Indonesia on Monday, 2 March 2026.

“Currently, Indonesia imports three types of goods from Saudi Arabia. First is crude oil, second is petroleum products such as petrol or Pertalite, and third is liquefied petroleum gas,” he explained.

Bambang has requested that the government, through the Directorate General of Oil and Gas (Ditjen Migas) under the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, undertake further coordination. A business-to-business approach between Pertamina and other trading partners outside Saudi Arabia is considered necessary to be executed promptly, given that global energy supply does not depend solely on a single country source.

“So for instance, if there are problems with Saudi Arabia’s Aramco, certainly other solutions can be sought, since supply is not only from Saudi Arabia alone,” he added.

Furthermore, Bambang urged PT Pertamina to move quickly in analysing the situation and making tactical decisions to mitigate the risk of domestic supply shortages.

Regarding impact on prices, he acknowledged that such fluctuations are difficult to avoid because Indonesia’s energy price benchmark (Indonesian Crude Price/ICP) is heavily dependent on global market price movements responding to the war situation.

“For this reason, we hope that Pertamina can quickly analyse the situation and make decisions to anticipate and mitigate this current situation,” he concluded.