Saudi Arabia Reopens East-West Pipeline After Drone Attack Shutdown

Saudi Arabia has resumed operations at its East-West Pipeline after an 11-day shutdown caused by a drone attack. The pipeline was shut down on September 11 and crude exports from the Red Sea port of Yanbu were halted.

The return of supplies contributed to selling in global oil markets on September 22, with Brent crude falling by more than $2 a barrel to its lowest level since September 8 at $97. Saudi Arabia had been using the pipeline to reroute around four million barrels per day to Yanbu after the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran disrupted oil flows from Saudi Arabia and other Middle East countries through the Strait of Hormuz.

The pipeline was operating at a low rate following the restart, with one source saying Aramco was seeking to restore the pumping rate to four million barrels per day. The pipeline has a capacity of seven million barrels per day, but reaching 40 percent of capacity would take a couple of days and a full restart would require six to eight weeks.