The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Energy has announced the shutdown of the 7 mb/d East-West crude pipeline, operated by Saudi Aramco, following drone attacks. “The pipeline was shut down as a precautionary measure”, said the statement.
The drones were reportedly launched from Iraq, where an investigation is currently under way. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attacks. In addition, the Houthis have captured the Red Sea port city of Mocha, bringing the group closer to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a key outlet for Saudi oil exports to Asia.
The 1,200 km pipeline transports crude from Saudi oil fields near the Mideast Gulf to the Red Sea port of Yanbu. Saudi Arabia has increasingly relied on its Red Sea export route since the US-Iran conflict disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Crude transported through the pipeline can be loaded at Yanbu on the Red Sea coast without passing through Hormuz, although tankers travelling from Yanbu to Asia must still transit the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. While the pipeline cannot replace all the volumes that previously moved through Hormuz before the war, it has helped ease pressure on global crude markets.
Saudi Arabia is the world’s largest crude oil exporter. According to our data, exports went mainly to the Asia and Pacific region (77%, of which 25% are for China), followed by Europe (12%) in 2024 (Enerdata Global Energy Research).