Now the kingdom finds itself with crude production of about 1 million barrels a day (b/d) higher than a year ago, while demand from the US has dropped by the same amount over that period. If not for significantly higher demand in India, China and the Middle East, Riyadh could find itself in the unexpected position of not having enough buyers for its products. There certainly seems to be much less anxiety in Saudi Aramco's ranks now than earlier in the year over its failure to hit deadlines for the 500,000-b/d Khursaniyah oil increment, the largest field due to come on line in the world this year. Missing the original completion date of December 2007 was largely due to labour and material shortages. But the fact that the delay will now reach a full year is a serious blow to Aramco's reputation as one of the most efficient companies in the sector. There are further potential delays for Aramco.