A rare U.S. strategic oil shipment to the Philippines underscores how the Hormuz crisis is forcing Asia to seek crude supplies outside the Middle East.

The US Navy announced the resumption of naval escort operations in the Strait of Hormuz Tuesday, with the intention of facilitating merchant shipping in the region.

The US Strategic Petroleum Reserve shipped 616,000 barrels of crude to the Philippines, its first Asia-bound cargo since 2022, as part of a 172M barrel release.