Saudi Arabia Restores Key Pipeline to Half Its Capacity

(Update) September 28, 2026, 5:32 PM GMT+1: (Article updates with details on timing of restart).

Saudi Arabia has restored about half the flows through its cross-country oil pipeline bypassing the Strait of Hormuz, after drone strikes halted the key export route earlier this month. 

Flows through the East-West pipeline to the Red Sea have reached at least 3.5 million barrels a day, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified discussing private information. 

Loadings at the Red Sea port of Yanbu resumed last week and the pipeline achieved about half of its 7 million-barrel-a-day capacity toward the end of the week, one of the people said. Several large tankers have been loading at ports along the Red Sea coast over the past several days. 

State producer Saudi Aramco and the Saudi energy ministry didn’t respond to requests for comment. 

The East-West pipeline has served as a vital conduit for keeping oil flowing during the Iran war, allowing the kingdom to continue exporting without relying on perilous journeys through the Strait of Hormuz. However, the route has come under pressure in recent months, after Yemen’s Houthi militant group began threatening tankers and infrastructure. The pipeline halted operations after it was struck on Sept. 10.

Saudi Arabia has responded by sharply ramping up shipments through the Strait of Hormuz in recent weeks — Bloomberg reported last week that the kingdom’s average crude exports for September had reached the highest level since the start of the war, despite the interruption to the pipeline. 

Now, traders will be closely watching whether the flows through Hormuz will continue as the East-West pipeline ramps back up. A person familiar with the matter said earlier this month that a full resumption of piped flows could take about six weeks. The Persian Gulf route is still fraught with risk with ships occasionally getting attacked as the war approaches seven months.

Yemen’s Houthi militants have stepped up attacks at energy infrastructure in Saudi Arabia’s southwest and at Yanbu, the Red Sea port where the East-West line terminates. Saudi Arabia has issued multiple warnings for cities including Riyadh, Jazan and the holy Islamic site of Mecca.

The East-West pipeline was shut following drone attacks launched from Iraq on Sept. 10. Following repairs, Saudi Aramco had started building pressure on the line earlier this month, Bloomberg reported last week.

Of the pipeline’s 7 million barrel-a-day capacity, about 1.5 million a day would likely be allocated to refineries along the kingdom’s west coast and the remainder is available for exports. Those overseas shipments had become a lifeline for the market during the Iran war, helping keep oil-price surges in check.

Oil in London was trading above $107 a barrel on Monday. Crude rose, driven higher by reports Iran and the US are far apart on a deal that would reopen Hormuz, before pairing some gains after news of the Saudi export restart.