Saudi East-West Pipeline Hit by Emergency Flares Amid Unusual Thermal Activity
Satellite imagery has revealed a large plume of smoke along Saudi Arabia's strategic East-West oil pipeline route, sparking concerns about potential damage or disruption to the vital transportation corridor.
NASA data recorded unusual thermal activity in the area, and researchers identified emergency flaring at sites along the pipeline. Sentinel-3 imagery from Thursday showed black smoke rising from an area south of Medina near the pipeline.
The East-West pipeline carries crude oil from Saudi Arabia's eastern region to the Red Sea port of Yanbu, allowing exports to bypass the Strait of Hormuz. Researchers with the Earth Observation Group at the Colorado School of Mines' Payne Institute found that most thermal activity occurred at previously known flare sites, rather than new locations along the pipeline.
At least two known flares entered an 'emergency' operating regime, with sharp increases in gas being burned. The estimated gas flow rate rose to about 0.32-0.44 billion cubic meters per year on Friday, while combustion temperatures remained within the site's previously observed range.