Saudi East-West pipeline returns to 5.8 million barrels despite attack claim

Anadolu Agency reported on 5 October that an unnamed energy industry source claimed an attack on the Khurais pumping station, east of Riyadh, had caused heavy damage and shut the line. Bloomberg's sources, however, said oil continued to flow through the pipeline on 5 October. According to Yeni Şafak, prices rose by as much as 1.2% on the first report and gave back the gains after Bloomberg's account. Saudi Aramco and the energy ministry did not respond to requests for comment on 5 October. The Khurais attack could not be independently verified.

The official figure came 24 hours later. Türkiye Today reported that Prince Abdulaziz told the Made in the Gulf conference in Manama on 6 October that the line had returned to 5.8 million barrels that morning. The minister said three of the line's 11 pumping stations were directly damaged in the attacks and repairs took five to six days. OilPrice reports the 5.8 million as the total volume moved by the morning, while Türkiye Today reports it as a daily flow. Which was meant remains unclear. The line's maximum capacity is 7 million barrels a day.

The constraint is that the only major outlet bypassing the Strait of Hormuz depends on a single 1,200-kilometre line. According to AA, Aramco had lifted flows above 80% of capacity by the end of last week. After the west coast refineries are supplied, about 4.5 million barrels a day remain for export. OilPrice said Saudi crude exports recovered from 2.45 million barrels a day in August to about 6.9 million in September. The line's shutdown after the 10 September attack showed that this recovery could be undone by a single pumping station.