Saudi Arabia is moving quickly to activate a decades-old contingency plan to keep crude exports flowing as a severe shipping disruption linked to the crisis around the Strait of Hormuz threatens global energy markets. The kingdom is pumping millions of gallons of oil across vast desert areas to reach tankers on the Red Sea as traditional shipping routes face paralysis.

The International Energy Agency is considering what could become the largest coordinated release of strategic oil reserves in history as global energy markets face severe disruption from the ongoing crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical oil shipping routes. According to reports, member states of the global energy organization are expected to vote on a proposal that would release a massive volume of crude oil from emergency reserves in an effort to stabilize global oil prices and protect international energy supply chains.