Saudi oil shipments to Egypt halted indefinitely, Egyptian officials say - REUTERS

A Saudi Aramco employee sits in the area of its stand at the
 Middle East Petrotech 2016, in Manama, Bahrain, September 27, 2016.
REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed

Mon Nov 7, 2016 | 1:12pm ESTReporting by Ehab Farouk in Cairo and Maha El Dahan and Rania El Gamal in Abu Dhabi, Writing by Lin Noueihed; Editing by Andrew Torchia, Catherine Evans and Mark Potter

Saudi Arabia has informed Egypt that shipments of oil products expected under a $23 billion aid deal have been halted indefinitely, suggesting a deepening rift between the Arab world's richest country and its most populous.

Saudi Arabia has been a major donor to Egypt since President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi seized power in mid-2013 but Riyadh has become frustrated with Sisi's lack of economic reforms and his reluctance to be drawn into the conflict in Yemen.

Egypt says increasing tenders for oil to raise reserves -CBC / REUTERS

Sun Oct 9, 2016 9:23pm GMT

CAIRO Oct 9 (Reuters) - Egypt's recent spike in purchase tenders for petroleum products is part of ongoing efforts to build strategic stocks, the petroleum ministry spokesman said on Sunday on local television amid questions over a possible suspension of Saudi oil aid.

Saudi Arabia agreed to provide Egypt with 700,000 tonnes of refined oil products per month for five years under a $23 billion deal between Saudi Aramco and the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) signed during a state visit this year by Saudi Arabia's King Salman.

Egypt has not received October allocations of petroleum aid from Saudi Arabia, traders told Reuters, forcing its state oil buyer to rapidly increase tenders even amid a severe dollar shortage and growing arrears to oil producers.

Without Saudi oil aid, Egypt rushes out big buy tenders - REUTERS

Fri Oct 7, 2016 | 10:47am EDT
Reporting by Eric Knecht and Abdel Rahman Adel in Cairo, and Jessica Jaganathan; Additional reporting by Rania El Gamal in Dubai and Ron Bousso and Libby George in London, editing by William Hardy)

CAIRO/SINGAPORE Oct 7 Egypt has not received October allocations of petroleum aid from Saudi Arabia, traders told Reuters, forcing its state oil buyer to rapidly increase tenders even amid a severe dollar shortage and growing arrears to oil producers.

Saudi Arabia agreed to provide Egypt with 700,000 tonnes of refined oil products per month for five years under a $23 billion deal between Saudi Aramco and the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) signed during a state visit this year by Saudi Arabia's King Salman.