Saudi Arabia Restarts East-West Pipeline at Low Rate, Readies Yanbu Cargo

Key Facts

Saudi Arabia restarted its East-West pipeline, known as Petroline, at a low rate on Tuesday, according to 3 sources briefed on the matter who spoke to Reuters. A crude cargo was scheduled to load from the Red Sea port of Yanbu the same day for China, marking an initial step toward resuming west-coast exports.

The restart followed attacks on September 10 in the Riyadh and Medina regions that prompted the Saudi Energy Ministry to halt the line as a precaution. Reuters reported that 3 of the pipeline's 11 pumping stations were damaged and that the route had been moving about 4 million barrels per day to Yanbu before the shutdown.

The East-West pipeline has nameplate capacity of 7 million barrels per day, including 5 million barrels per day available for exports, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. It moves crude from eastern Saudi Arabia to the Red Sea without crossing the Strait of Hormuz. Recovering those flows reduces reliance on a disruption-prone maritime route and may ease the oil risk premium, although the low pumping rate means the relief remains partial.

A security source said reaching 40% of capacity could take a few days and full restoration might require 6 to 8 weeks, while an oil-industry source estimated up to 6 weeks. Through September 18, 2026, Saudi oil moving through Hormuz averaged 2.9 million barrels per day over 6 days, based on satellite data cited by JPMorgan. The pace of actual Yanbu loadings will provide the clearest measure of repair progress.