Saudi Arabia shut down its East-West crude oil pipeline as a precaution after multiple attacks hit the line in the Riyadh and Madinah regions. The pipeline normally carries up to 7 million barrels per day and serves as the kingdom's main bypass route around the Strait of Hormuz, so its closure pulls a major volume of crude oil out of an already tight market.
Saudi Arabia's Energy Ministry shut down the East-West Pipeline as a precautionary measure after the line was targeted in multiple attacks. The ministry said emergency and technical teams were deployed immediately to secure the pipeline and assess its safety.
What happened
The attacks struck the pipeline in the Riyadh and Madinah regions on the morning of Thursday, September 10, 2026. The ministry said the incidents resulted in a number of injuries, with medical care provided to those affected. Technical teams responded in coordination with relevant authorities and followed approved safety procedures. According to the ministry: "Any further developments will be announced in due course."
Reports from the day before suggested as many as five separate attacks along a 100-kilometer stretch of the line, though the exact locations and damage are still being assessed.
Why the pipeline matters
The East-West Pipeline was built as a backup route to move crude oil to the Red Sea after Riyadh began relying on it to bypass the Strait of Hormuz during the Iran war. It carries up to 7 million barrels per day, with useful capacity pegged at 5 to 6 million barrels per day.
If a single pumping station was hit, the line could resume at reduced capacity within days. But if multiple stations were destroyed, the shutdown could stretch into weeks or months, since mountainous terrain along the route limits alternative paths for the oil.
Normally around 20 million barrels per day transit the Strait of Hormuz, and with this pipeline and US escorts in place, somewhere in the 11 to 16 million barrel range still gets out. Losing the pipeline would cut that flow roughly in half, in an already tight market.
Sources: CNBC, Investing.com, InvestingLive
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