'Secretive' UAE and Swiss-based firms reportedly major crude suppliers to Israel

'Secretive' UAE and Swiss-based firms reportedly major crude suppliers to Israel Two little-known oil traders, Vitol and Heritage Petroleum FZCO, have emerged as two of the top suppliers of crude to Israel during its genocide in Gaza, according to a new report by Oil Change International (OCI) and the Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations (SOMO). Together, the companies collectively exported approximately 22m barrels to Israel, representing 11 percent of the country’s total crude imports between October 2023 and June 2026, the report found. Despite a Turkish embargo against Israel, the majority of the oil shipped by the two companies flows through the Turkish port of Ceyhan. Researchers also identified two subsidiaries of Heritage on the Turkish trade register. While oil giants including BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil and Shell have faced criticism over their role in supplying oil to Israel during its genocide in Gaza, the part played by a shady network of oil traders in the supply chain has received far less scrutiny. OCI and SOMO’s research draws on data from the shipping platform Kpler of known “charterers”, which includes trade and shipping data. Read more: 'Secretive' UAE