STRAIT OF HORMUZ — U.S. crude oil exports have reached a record 5.2 million barrels per day, a one-third increase, with almost 30 super-sized vessels each capable of holding 2 million barrels contracted to load American crude. The surge in shipments followed a reduction in Middle East fossil fuel flows after Iran blocked daily flows of 10 million barrels of Gulf oil exports via the Strait of Hormuz.

The number of carriers preparing to load U.S. crude is almost six times the monthly number recorded before the war reduced Middle East supplies. U.S. weekly exports of jet fuel have doubled to an all-time high, with shipments to Europe sharply increased and supplied by oil imported from Venezuela.

The Iran war has erased a third of Saudi Arabia's crude production in a matter of weeks. Restoring Middle East oil output to previous levels could take years, if achieved at all.

"The Middle East conflict has done more than spike oil prices," said Radhika Bansal, senior researcher at Rystad Energy. According to analysts at the consultancy, restarting the region's shuttered oil and gas fields and drone-damaged infrastructure will cost between $34 billion and $58 billion.

A full recovery of Gulf oil production could occur within a year if the conflict is resolved in the coming months, according to Dylan White, director at Wood Mackenzie. Duncan Wood, head of the Pacific Council of International Policy, said the disruption was prompting governments to reassess their energy strategies. "Any right-minded government is asking how to reduce exposure, increase autonomy and diversify energy sources," he said.

The United States became a net energy exporter and the world's largest producer of oil and gas just over five years ago. Growth in U.S. and Canadian crude production, which has accelerated in recent years, is expected to continue through the 2020s.