Why Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline matters for global oil

The 1,200km (745 mile) pipeline has been temporarily closed, affecting up to 5 percent of global oil supply.

This handout satellite image released by Vantor shows a view of a pumping station along the general route of Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline in al-Mesabaah, southeast of Medina, on September 13, 2026, following an attack and resulting fires [Photo by Satellite image ©2026 Vantor/AFP]

In another blow to global oil markets, drones struck Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline last Thursday, prompting the kingdom to suspend operations.

The 1,200km (746-mile) pipeline, which carries roughly 4 to 5 million barrels of oil per day (bpd), links the country’s major oil-producing fields in the east with the Red Sea port of Yanbu, allowing Saudi Arabia to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, which has largely been closed since the outbreak of the US-Israel war on Iran in February.

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Energy said the shutdown was a “precautionary” measure after the attack caused damage and injuries in the Riyadh and Medina regions.

The closure comes as the US-Israel war on Iran has sharply reduced oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz and Houthi forces in Yemen have intensified attacks around the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandeb.

With oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz severely disrupted, Saudi Arabia has relied more heavily on the East-West pipeline. What does its closure mean for an already tight global oil market?

How bad is the damage?

The extent of the damage is not yet clear, and estimates of how quickly the pipeline can return to normal operations vary. Sources familiar with the incident told the Reuters news agency that repairs could take five to six weeks, while another source said operations could restart sooner.

Saudi officials said drones hit the pipeline in two areas around Riyadh and Medina. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the attack caused injuries and damage to infrastructure.

According to Saudi authorities, the launch of the drones was traced to Maysan province in southeastern Iraq, close to the Iranian border and an area where Iran-aligned armed groups have established a longstanding presence.

The attack follows a strike in March near the Saudi-Aramco-ExxonMobil refinery in Yanbu that temporarily disrupted crude loadings from the Red Sea port. That incident had little lasting impact on operations, with shipments recovering within days, but it demonstrated that the kingdom’s western oil infrastructure was not immune to attacks.

What is the East-West pipeline?

The East-West pipeline, also known as the Petroline, is a 1,200km (745-mile) long oil pipeline built in 1981 that carries crude oil from the kingdom’s eastern oil fields near Abqaiq across the Arabian Peninsula to the Red Sea port of Yanbu, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz.

It has a maximum capacity of seven million bpd, although actual flows have been lower in recent months – about two million bpd in August according to Kpler – the lowest monthly level since January as Houthi attacks made the Red Sea route difficult to use.

Saudi Arabia increased the amount of crude sent west during the first five months of the conflict, taking flows to roughly 4-5 million bpd. That represents about 4 to 5 percent of global supply and allowed the world’s second largest oil exporter to bypass the Strait of Hormuz when shipping conditions deteriorated.

Why is it important?

The pipeline’s closure comes at a critical point for the global oil market.

Before the war, the Strait of Hormuz supplied more than a fifth of oil globally – about 20 million bpd. According to Reuters, industry estimates now put the flow at about 6-9 million bpd through the strait, a dramatic reduction in the volume.

Saudi Arabia has responded by moving more crude towards the Red Sea. However, the flow and export of that oil depends on the pipeline, storage facilities and tankers transiting safely – all of which have been made vulnerable since the Iran war began in February.

According to sources close to Reuters, if the pipeline remains shut, Yanbu has enough available stocks to sustain exports for about five to seven days, while Egyptian facilities in Ain Sukhna and Sidi Kerir, which store Saudi oil, could provide additional supplies for several days.

While this gives Saudi Arabia some buffer, it comes as global inventories have already been falling. The International Energy Agency said Saudi oil supply reached a more than three-decade low in August, with disruptions in Hormuz and the Red Sea. It says world oil supplies will decline by some 5.7 million bpd this year, equivalent to 6 percent of global supply.

Oil prices have so far been cushioned by stockpiles and releases from strategic reserves, with Brent crude trading about $70-$90 in recent months. But the longer regional disruptions continue, the more those reserves will be depleted and the higher prices will rise.

In June, the IEA said continued drawdowns could hit critical levels with experts saying that if inventories approach exceptionally low levels, Brent could potentially rise to $150 a barrel.

If damage to the pipeline proves extensive, and attacks continue to threaten Yanbu and shipping routes beyond it, Saudi Arabia could find that its ability to compensate for lost Gulf exports is itself becoming constrained.

Gavekal Research noted that if Yanbu, which processes more than one million bpd, goes offline because of threats from Houthi drones, “this would be a disaster for the world at a time when global refining capacity is already critically tight.”

这条长达 1200 公里（745 英里）的输油管道已暂时关闭，影响了全球高达 5% 的石油供应。

这张由Vantor公司发布的卫星图像显示了2026年9月13日沙特阿拉伯东西输油管道沿线麦地那东南部的梅萨巴赫镇的一个泵站，该泵站此前遭到袭击并引发火灾。[卫星图像©2026 Vantor/AFP]

上周四，无人机袭击了沙特阿拉伯的东西输油管道，给全球石油市场带来了又一次打击，迫使沙特暂停了输油管道的运营。

这条全长 1200 公里（746 英里）的输油管道每天输送约 400 万至 500 万桶石油，连接该国东部的主要产油区和红海港口延布，使沙特阿拉伯能够绕过霍尔木兹海峡。自 2 月份美国和以色列对伊朗爆发战争以来，霍尔木兹海峡基本上处于关闭状态。

沙特阿拉伯能源部表示，此次停电是袭击事件造成利雅得和麦地那地区人员伤亡和财产损失后采取的“预防性”措施。

此次关闭正值美国和以色列对伊朗的战争导致霍尔木兹海峡的石油运输量大幅减少，也门胡塞武装也加强了在红海和曼德海峡附近的袭击之际。

由于霍尔木兹海峡的石油运输严重受阻，沙特阿拉伯更加依赖东西向输油管道。这条管道的关闭对本已供应紧张的全球石油市场意味着什么？

损失有多严重？

目前尚不清楚损失程度，管道何时能够恢复正常运营的估计也各不相同。知情人士告诉路透社，修复工作可能需要五到六周，而另一消息人士则表示运营可能更快恢复。

沙特官员称，无人机袭击了位于利雅得和麦地那附近两处输油管道。外交部表示，袭击造成人员伤亡和基础设施损坏。

据沙特当局称，无人机的发射地点被追溯到伊拉克东南部的迈桑省，该省靠近伊朗边境，并且是伊朗支持的武装团体长期存在的地区。

此次袭击发生在3月份沙特阿美-埃克森美孚位于延布的炼油厂附近，那次袭击一度中断了红海港口的原油装载。虽然那​​次事件对运营影响不大，几天内运输就恢复了，但它表明沙特西部的石油基础设施并非不会遭受袭击。

什么是东西输油管道？

东西输油管道，又称石油管道，是一条长 1200 公里（745 英里）的输油管道，建于 1981 年，它将沙特阿拉伯王国东部阿布盖格附近油田的原油输送穿过阿拉伯半岛，到达红海港口延布，绕过了霍尔木兹海峡。

该油田最大输油能力为每天 700 万桶，但近几个月来实际输油量有所下降——据 Kpler 数据显示，8 月份的输油量约为每天 200 万桶——这是自 1 月份以来的最低月度水平，因为胡塞武装的袭击使得红海航线难以通行。

在冲突爆发后的前五个月里，沙特阿拉伯增加了向西方输送原油的数量，使输送量达到每天约400万至500万桶。这约占全球供应量的4%至5%，使得这个世界第二大石油出口国能够在航运条件恶化时绕过霍尔木兹海峡。

为什么这很重要？

该输油管道的关闭正值全球石油市场的关键时刻。

战前，霍尔木兹海峡供应了全球超过五分之一的石油，约2000万桶/日。据路透社报道，业内人士估计，目前通过该海峡的石油流量约为600万至900万桶/日，流量大幅下降。

沙特阿拉伯的回应是向红海输送更多原油。然而，这些原油的运输和出口取决于管道、储油设施和油轮的安全通行——自2月份伊朗战争爆发以来，所有这些都变得岌岌可危。

据路透社消息人士透露，如果输油管道继续关闭，延布的现有库存足以维持出口约五到七天，而储存沙特石油的埃及艾因苏赫纳和西迪凯里尔的设施可以提供几天的额外供应。

虽然这为沙特阿拉伯提供了一定的缓冲空间，但与此同时，全球石油库存已经开始下降。国际能源署表示，由于霍尔木兹海峡和红海的石油供应中断，沙特阿拉伯的石油供应在8月份降至30多年来的最低水平。该机构还表示，今年全球石油供应将减少约570万桶/日，相当于全球供应量的6%。

迄今为止，库存和战略储备的释放一直支撑着油价，近几个月来布伦特原油价格维持在每桶70至90美元左右。但区域性石油中断持续时间越长，这些储备消耗得就越快，油价上涨也就越多。

6 月，国际能源署表示，原油库存持续下降可能会达到临界水平，专家表示，如果库存接近极低水平，布伦特原油价格可能会上涨至每桶 150 美元。

如果输油管道的损坏程度被证实十分严重，而且袭击继续威胁延布及其周边的航运路线，沙特阿拉伯可能会发现，其弥补海湾地区出口损失的能力本身正受到限制。

Gavekal Research 指出，如果日加工量超过 100 万桶的延布炼油厂因胡塞武装无人机的威胁而停产，“在全球炼油能力已经严重紧张的情况下，这将是一场世界灾难。”