Saudi Arabia has restarted operations on its East-West oil pipeline after a nine-day shutdown, restoring an important route that can move crude from the Gulf side of the kingdom to the Red Sea, Reuters reported on September 22.
Three sources briefed on the matter told Reuters that the pipeline had resumed pumping at a low rate and that work was under way to restore its full capacity of about four million barrels per day.
The line had been shut since September 13 after drone attacks disrupted operations and halted crude loadings at the Red Sea port of Yanbu.
Restarting the pipeline gives Saudi Arabia another route for crude exports at a time when shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains severely disrupted.
Sources told Reuters that Saudi Aramco was preparing to resume crude supplies to Red Sea refineries and that a cargo could be loaded at Yanbu for delivery to China.
Saudi Aramco had not publicly commented on the restart at the time of the initial Reuters report.
The development improves the kingdom's ability to bypass Hormuz, but the pipeline was not yet confirmed to be back at full capacity. Export flows will depend on operating rates, tanker availability and security conditions.