Saudi Arabia Suspends East-West Crude Oil Pipeline Operations, Cutting Off ‘Strait of Hormuz Bypass’

【Financial News, New York — Correspondent Lee Byung-chul】 As concerns grow over disruptions to crude oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz amid the war with Iran, Saudi Arabia has suspended operations of the key East-West Crude Oil Pipeline, which it had used to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, after it too came under attack. As risks to Middle Eastern crude oil transportation spread beyond the Strait of Hormuz to alternative routes linked to the Red Sea, concerns are mounting that international oil prices could face additional upward pressure.
According to CNBC and other outlets, the Ministry of Energy (Saudi Arabia) said on the 11th, local time, that it had suspended operations of the East-West Crude Oil Pipeline as a precaution after several attacks. The ministry said the pipeline was attacked the previous morning in the Riyadh and Medina areas. Several people were injured in the attacks.
Saudi authorities have deployed emergency response teams to the site to secure the pipeline and assess the damage. The Ministry of Energy (Saudi Arabia) said, "We will announce further developments at an appropriate time."
The attacks have drawn attention because the East-West Crude Oil Pipeline has served as a key bypass route for Saudi Arabia’s crude oil exports since the war with Iran began.
The pipeline connects crude oil production areas in eastern Saudi Arabia with the Red Sea coast in the west. To export crude oil without passing through the Strait of Hormuz, Saudi Arabia had redirected millions of barrels per day of exports toward the Red Sea through the pipeline.
The East-West Crude Oil Pipeline became even more strategically important as tensions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz escalated following the war with Iran. It provided Saudi Arabia with an alternative route for transporting crude oil toward the Red Sea if problems arose at the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for global oil shipments.
The attack has temporarily blocked even this bypass route, further heightening concerns about the Middle East’s crude oil supply chain. The Saudi government did not identify those behind the attack. It also did not disclose whether the pipeline had suffered serious physical damage.
However, the Houthi rebels in Yemen, who are linked to Iran, have expanded their attacks on Saudi Arabia this week.



[email protected] Correspondent Lee Byung-chul Reporter