Saudi Arabia Restores East-West Oil Pipeline to Full 7 Million bpd Capacity After Attacks

Saudi Arabia announced on April 12, 2026, that it has restored full operational capacity on its East-West oil pipeline (also known as Petroline) to approximately 7 million barrels per day (bpd).

The East-West Pipeline runs about 1,200 km (746 miles) from major oil processing hubs like Abqaiq in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province (Persian Gulf side) to the Red Sea port of Yanbu. It serves as a critical bypass route for exporting crude without using the Strait of Hormuz.

During the recent Iran conflict (part of the broader 2026 US-Israel-Iran tensions), attacks targeted Saudi energy infrastructure, including a pumping station on this pipeline. On April 9, Saudi officials reported that the strikes had reduced pipeline throughput by about 700,000 bpd and cut overall Saudi oil production capacity by around 600,000 bpd (with impacts at facilities like Manifa and Khurais).

The attacks occurred around April 8, shortly after a reported ceasefire, and were widely attributed to Iranian or Iran-linked actions amid the regional escalation (including the effective closure or severe restriction of the Strait of Hormuz to non-Iranian vessels).

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Energy stated on April 12 that operational and technical teams successfully repaired the damaged facilities. The pipeline and affected energy sites have now recovered full capacity.

This returns the line to its enhanced maximum of ~7 million bpd. (Note: The original design capacity was around 5 million bpd; it was upgraded post-2019 Abqaiq attacks by converting parallel natural gas liquids lines to carry crude, allowing the higher emergency ceiling.)

The ministry emphasized that this enhances the reliability of global oil supplies, especially with Hormuz disrupted.

In the lead-up to and during the conflict (starting late February/early March 2026), Saudi Aramco had already ramped up flows through the East-West Pipeline to near or full capacity to reroute exports to the Red Sea, quadrupling shipments from western terminals in some reports. This made it Saudi Arabia’s primary crude export route while Hormuz was largely closed.

Quick repair demonstrates Saudi resilience in maintaining infrastructure under attack, though the incident still caused short-term global market jitters and highlighted vulnerabilities in Gulf energy security.

Not all production has fully normalized yet—work continues at some sites like Khurais—but the pipeline restoration is a key step for export continuity.

This development helps stabilize oil markets after the disruptions, as the pipeline now once again moves up to 7 million bpd westward. Oil prices will likely react based on overall supply perceptions, OPEC+ dynamics, and the status of the Iran-related conflict.

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Saudi Arabia restores full capacity on East-West oil pipeline to 7 million bpd after attacks

From The BOE Report

By Reuters

Saudi Arabia has restored full oil pumping capacity through the East-West pipelineto about seven million barrels per day, it said on Sunday, days after providing an assessment of damage on its energy sector from attacks during the Iran conflict.

The ministry said energy facilities and the pipeline affected by attacks during the conflict have recovered and restored operational capacity.

Saudi did not specify who launched the attacks, but the kingdom has intercepted many Iranian missiles and drones in recent weeks.

The strikes also disrupted operations at key oil, gas, refining, petrochemical and electricity sites in Riyadh, the Eastern Province and Yanbu Industrial City.

OUTPUT RECOVERY TO HELP SUPPLY CONTINUITY

Saudi said on Thursday the attacks had cut its oil production capacity by around 600,000 barrels per day and throughput on its East-West Pipeline by about 700,000 bpd.

The East-West Pipeline has been Saudi Arabia’s only crude export route amid the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Reuters reported on Wednesday that Iran attacked the pipeline just hours after the ceasefire was agreed.

The ministry said it recovered affected volumes from the Manifa oilfield, where output had previously been reduced by around 300,000 bpd.

Work was ongoing to restore full output at the Khurais facility, after strikes on it reduced Saudi capacity by a further 300,000 bpd, the ministry said.

It said the quick recovery would enhance the “reliability and continuity of supplies to local and global markets.”29dk2902lhttps://boereport.com/29dk2902l.html

(Reporting by Menna Alaa El-Din and Muhammad Al Gebaly Editing by Bernadette Baum)


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