Saudi Arabia Eyes Restart of East-West Pipeline Amid Global Crude Market Volatility
Saudi Arabia has signaled a possible restart of the East-West pipeline to Yanbu, which would allow crude oil from the eastern part of the kingdom to be transported to the Red Sea coast. The pipeline's maximum capacity reaches 7 million barrels per day (bpd), with about 2 million bpd allocated for domestic consumption and facilities within the kingdom.
Although a person familiar with the matter told the Financial Times that flows were expected to resume before the end of the week, neither Saudi Aramco nor the Saudi Ministry of Energy has confirmed the restart. The pipeline was shut down after several attacks in the Riyadh and Medina regions, but emergency teams secured the facility and monitored its integrity.
In the first quarter of 2026, Saudi Aramco showed an ability to quickly adjust its logistics setup following a disruption, resolving a loss of pumping capacity within days and reconfiguring supply and export routes in eight days. However, this earlier sequence does not allow for any inference about the repair time needed after the September attacks.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration analysis published on June 23, 2026, shows that the capacity available for exports from the western coast stands at 5 million bpd.