Since the start of the Mideast Gulf conflict and the resulting disruptions to shipping out of the region, the driving force of global oil flows has shifted away from the Mideast and toward the Americas. Shipments of both crude and refined products from North and South America have increased dramatically, as Mideast supply remains largely locked up. The US is leading the way higher for Americas exports, but as the conflict in the Strait of Hormuz drags on, more barrels from Canada and Latin America are trading on the global market as well. However, several factors could keep a lid on Americas supply growth, including freight rates and crude-grade disparities. US crude exports have been growing since former President Barack Obama lifted restrictions in late 2015, but conflicts this decade have now twice helped boost them higher as flows shift. Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, more US crude went to Europe to make up for lost volumes that once flowed from the east. Now, as Hormuz's near-closure impacts Asian refiners, US barrels are increasingly headed their direction. US government data suggests Asia-bound US crude volumes jumped by almost 900,000 barrels per day between March and April this year to over 2.5 million b/d, nearly double the growth in volumes to all European destinations combined over that period. Other countries in the Americas are increasing flows to Asia as well. Virtually all of the Canadian crude shipped on the Trans Mountain pipeline system is now going to Asia, market players say, while Brazilian state-owned Petrobras is shipping 71% of its exports to the region, up from 63% last year, quarterly filings show. South Korea, meanwhile, has purchased a test cargo of almost 1 million bbl of crude from Argentina, according to Korean refiner HD Hyundai Oilbank, with an eye toward more regular shipments next year.