Saudi Arabia has resumed crude oil exports through its East-West Pipeline after completing repairs to damage caused by drone strikes earlier this month, Bloomberg reported on Monday, citing a person with direct knowledge of the matter — a development that comes as Brent crude holds above $100 a barrel.
State oil company Saudi Aramco spent last week testing the pipeline and gradually raising system pressure, with the aim of restoring substantial flows by the weekend. Aramco and the Saudi Ministry of Energy did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The pipeline was struck by drones launched from Iraq’s Maysan province on 10 and 11 September, prompting Riyadh to shut down the line. Flows have already reached approximately 3.5 million barrels per day, though a full return to capacity is expected to take around six weeks. During the outage, Aramco arranged roughly 60 million barrels of September and October shipments through ship-to-ship transfers off Sohar, Oman, according to traders cited by Reuters.
The pipeline’s strategic importance lies in its geography. Running from the Eastern Province to the Red Sea port of Yanbu, it bypasses the Strait of Hormuz entirely. It has a total capacity of 7 million barrels per day, of which around 2 million barrels typically feed refineries on the country’s west coast, with the remainder available for export. The route has become critical during the war with Iran, helping to dampen sharp spikes in global oil prices.
The reopening may ease pressure on buyers scrambling to secure supply. Some European customers have been told they will not receive crude next month under long-term contracts. At the same time, shipping in the Persian Gulf remains exposed to intermittent attack risks as the conflict with Iran enters its seventh month. Market operators will be watching how much oil Saudi Arabia continues to route through the Strait of Hormuz as the pipeline moves back towards full capacity.
On Monday, oil was trading above $107 a barrel, with the United States and Iran still at odds over any agreement that could bring the Middle East conflict to an end.
For Angola, developments in global oil markets are being monitored closely. The country produces just over one million barrels per day, and petroleum revenues account for 60% of all state receipts, making the national economy acutely sensitive to crude price movements.
The resumption of Saudi exports via the East-West Pipeline represents one of the most closely watched supply-side developments since the outbreak of hostilities, and its progress toward full operational capacity will continue to influence benchmark crude prices in the weeks ahead.
Source: Mercado / Original article: https://mercado.co.ao/arabia-saudita-retoma-exportacoes-de-petroleo-pelo-oleoduto-leste-oeste-apos-ataques-com-drones/
