Saudi Arabia Shuts Down Major Oil Pipeline Amid Houthi Advances

Saudi Arabia has temporarily shut down its 1,200-kilometre East-West pipeline, which carries up to five million barrels of oil daily. The move comes after drone attacks on September 10 and amid a Houthi territorial advance that threatens the Red Sea shipping route beside Africa.

The pipeline transports crude from Saudi Arabia's eastern oilfields to the Red Sea port of Yanbu, allowing the kingdom to avoid the disrupted Strait of Hormuz. However, despite lying entirely within Saudi Arabia, the implications extend to Africa due to the strategic location of Yanbu's two escape routes.

Oil shipments traveling south towards Asian markets must approach Bab el-Mandeb, a narrow passage between Yemen, Djibouti, and Eritrea, while those traveling north enter Egypt via the Suez Canal or SUMED pipeline. The African connection has become increasingly important after Houthi forces captured Mayun (also known as Perim Island), an island inside Bab el-Mandeb that separates its two shipping channels.

The Houthi capture of Mayun follows their takeover of Mocha and advance through Dhubab on Yemen's Red Sea coast. Mayun sits at the strait itself, between Yemen and the African coast, and is approximately 26 kilometres wide at its narrowest point.