Saudi Arabia Restarts East-West Oil Pipeline Damaged by Houthi Attacks

Saudi Arabia has restarted operations on its East-West Pipeline and could resume crude exports from the Red Sea port of Yanbu later on Tuesday, according to three people briefed on the matter.

Two sources who spoke to Reuters said flows through the pipeline had resumed at a low rate, marking the first restoration of a route that has become critical to Saudi crude exports.

Yanbu Loadings Set for Return

The restart could allow Saudi Arabia to restore oil loadings from Yanbu, which were halted after drone attacks forced the pipeline out of operation.

Bloomberg separately reported that Saudi Arabia had been testing the pipeline to return it to service this week.

Its source also said Yanbu oil loadings were expected to resume during the week.

Saudi Aramco and the Saudi oil ministry did not respond to Bloomberg's requests for comment.

Strategic Red Sea Route

The 1,200 km pipeline crosses the Arabian Peninsula and connects Saudi oil production infrastructure with the Red Sea coast.

The route has grown more important over the past six months as the Strait of Hormuz has remained largely shut by war, providing an alternative outlet for Middle East crude supplies.

Industry assessments cited in earlier reporting put flows through the East-West Pipeline at between 4 million and 5 million barrels a day, equivalent to roughly 4% to 5% of global oil supply.

That capacity has helped shield Saudi Arabia from some of the export disruption affecting other Gulf oil and gas producers.

Pumping Stations Damaged

Two pumping stations serving the pipeline were damaged in the recent attack, according to assessments from three oil and security sources.

Pumping stations eight and nine were struck. The network is served by 11 pumping stations and two separate pressure relief stations, industry assessments say.

Earlier reports gave differing dates for the attack that forced the shutdown.

Reuters said drone attacks prompted Saudi Arabia to close the pipeline on September 13, while Bloomberg reported that the route had been halted following a September 10 strike.

Previous reporting also said the attack originated from Iraq, according to Saudi officials.