Egypt's recent spike in purchase tenders for petroleum products is part of ongoing efforts to build strategic stocks, Ministry of Petroleum spokesman Hamdi Abdelaziz said, in response to questions over a possible suspension of Saudi Arabia oil aid. "We asked for an oil tender because Egypt always seeks to increase its strategic reserves," he said, adding that "oil shipments not arriving from Saudi Aramco could be for various reasons... this is something that happens with some shipments." Delivery of the Saudi Aramco products was halted as of 1 October for unclear reasons. The shipment is part of a USD23bn deal between Saudi Aramco and the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) signed during a state visit this year by Saudi Arabia's King Salman to provide Egypt with 700,000 tonnes of refined oil products per month for five years. (Reuters, CBC)