Saudi Arabia Restarts East-West Pipeline at Full Capacity
Saudi Arabia's East-West Pipeline has resumed full operations, with oil flows reaching 5.8 million barrels per day, according to Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman. The pipeline, which transports crude to the Red Sea export terminal at Yanbu, has not faced any recent interruptions despite earlier reports suggesting disruptions amid tensions between Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Houthis.
The pipeline was temporarily shut down on September 11 following drone attacks, which forced the kingdom to halt crude loadings at Yanbu. Three sources briefed on the matter confirmed the restart of operations. Saudi Arabia attributed the attacks to Iraqi militias.
The East-West Pipeline has gained strategic importance due to the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, which has disrupted oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz. Riyadh has been using the pipeline to reroute approximately 4 million barrels per day to Yanbu, accounting for about 4% of the global oil supply.