Saudi Arabia says East-West pipeline pumping 5.8 million bpd

What the report says

Saudi Arabia says its East-West Pipeline has returned to a throughput of 5.8 million barrels per day, according to Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman. He made the remarks during a panel at the GCC 2026 Forum in Manama, Bahrain, saying the line was brought back into use within days after a major attack last month and had now recovered to that level.

The 1,200-kilometre pipeline, also known as Petroline, connects oil fields in eastern Saudi Arabia with the Red Sea port of Yanbu. Its strategic value is that it gives the kingdom a route that avoids the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint that has been disrupted in the region amid wider conflict and security risks. Al Jazeera reported that the ministry had described the September shutdown as temporary and precautionary while teams assessed the line.

The report said the pipeline’s maximum capacity is 7 million bpd, but actual flows have been lower in recent months. The return to 5.8 million bpd suggests Saudi Arabia is restoring a key export route after attacks that have complicated shipping from both the Red Sea and the Gulf. For energy markets, the figure matters because the line can help redirect large volumes of crude and reduce dependence on vulnerable maritime passages.