Saudi Arabia resumed operation of the East-West pipeline (“East — West”), which was suspended after the drone attack on September 10. Reuters, citing sources, reports that pumping is proceeding at a reduced rate, and oil exports through the port of Yanbu on the Red Sea may resume as early as Tuesday, September 22.
Reuters, citing three sources familiar with the situation, writes that the oil pipeline is being tested and that its operation is planned to resume this week. According to two sources, pumping is currently proceeding at a reduced rate.
Bloomberg reports that Saudi Arabia is testing “East — West” and also expects to resume its operation this week. The 1,200 km pipeline connects major fields in eastern Saudi Arabia with the port of Yanbu on the Red Sea, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran blocks.
Saudi Press Agency reported that the pipeline’s operation was suspended as a precautionary measure after strikes in the Riyadh and Medina provinces, where there are casualties. Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry said that the oil pipeline was attacked by drones launched from Iraqi territory, and that Riyadh will not carry out retaliatory strikes at this stage — this was requested by the Iraqi prime minister.
After the start of the war in the Middle East, Riyadh sharply increased pumping along this route, and by June exports, disrupted by the fighting, had recovered to almost 8 million barrels per day, according to the International Energy Agency. In recent weeks, East-West shipments have declined due to Houthi attacks on Saudi tankers in the Red Sea, and in August only 2.5 million barrels per day were shipped from Yanbu — the lowest level since 2013, according to the latest monthly IEA report.
In April, East-West was already attacked, but Saudi Aramco quickly restored its operation.
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