US Energy Secretary: Saudi Pipeline Could Be Back in Service Within Days

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Saudi Arabia’s 1,200-kilometer East-West oil pipeline, shut after an attack last week, could be repaired and back in service within days. The line had been carrying about 4 to 5 million barrels per day around the largely closed Strait of Hormuz to the Red Sea port of Yanbu.

By AI NewsroomPublished about 10 hours agoUpdated about 10 hours ago0 views

Why It Matters

Bringing the East-West route back online would restore one of the few high-capacity channels for Gulf crude that avoids the Strait of Hormuz, easing a major bottleneck in exports and reducing pressure on dwindling inventories at Yanbu. Markets have already reacted to the outage, pushing Brent above $108 per barrel and prompting buyers to seek alternative supplies.

Key Facts

U.S. Energy Secretary: Chris Wright
Pipeline: East-West oil pipeline (1,200 kilometers)
Typical flow through pipeline: Approximately 4 to 5 million barrels per day
Share of global oil supply via Yanbu: Roughly 4% to 5%
Incident: Shut after an attack last week

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Tuesday that Saudi officials expect repairs to the kingdom’s East-West oil pipeline to take days rather than weeks, offering the first relatively concrete timeline for restoring the 1,200-kilometer route. The pipeline was taken out of service after an attack last week that damaged the system and halted flows to the Red Sea port of Yanbu. The East-West line had been moving roughly 4 to 5 million barrels per day, a volume that provided Saudi Arabia with an alternative export path while traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has been largely constrained. Because the pipeline supplied about 4% to 5% of global oil output to Yanbu, its outage raised concerns that export-ready inventories at the port could be exhausted if disruptions persisted. Some buyers have already felt the impact: Saudi Aramco canceled or delayed late-September crude cargoes to several European refiners, and Poland’s Orlen has been turning to North Sea grades as well as U.S. WTI Midland and Kazakhstan’s CPC Blend after deliveries from Saudi Arabia slipped. Vortexa data cited by Argus showed no Saudi crude departures from Yanbu since September 11. The broader market response was swift, with Brent crude rising above $108 per barrel as traders priced in another possible loss of supply. Wright said Saudi officials are also attempting to move additional volumes through the Strait of Hormuz with U.S. military assistance, while assessments of the pipeline damage continue.