Saudi Arabia Restarts Oil Pipeline After Drone Attacks
Saudi Arabia has restored operations of its critical East-West oil pipeline, which was shut down on September 11 following drone attacks. The pipeline is currently running at a reduced capacity of around 4 million barrels per day, with plans to gradually increase throughput as repairs continue.
The pipeline's maximum capacity is 7 million barrels per day, and it will take several days for the route to reach 40% capacity. Full restoration of operations may require six to eight weeks, according to estimates from sources cited by Reuters.
Three pumping stations were damaged in the attack on September 20, but Saudi Aramco is working to repair them and get the pipeline back up to speed. The East-West oil pipeline has become increasingly important due to disruptions in the transportation of oil through the Strait of Hormuz, with around 4 million barrels per day being redirected to Yanbu.