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That statement indicates not naiveté but subtle strategy. The Arabs fully appreciate that Rotterdam is the critical conduit for oil to Northern Europe. By singling out the Dutch, they are able to menace all of Europe while officially punishing only one nation. By allowing the continued—though significantly reduced—flow of oil through the Dutch port, they prevent total European collapse (which they do not want) while gaining more efficient control over that flow than if they had to track down where each barrel of their oil is going. Just as easily as they wink at the subterfuge, they can stop it when they please —and really freeze out Europe.
* The oil companies can easily shift the destinations—as well as the source—of thousands of barrels of crude in minutes by a few calls to tanker captains. In 1951, when Iran's Premier Mohammed Mossadegh nationalized that country's wells, the multinationals overnight dropped Iran's share of the world market from 6% to zero.