Will Saudi Arabia Resume Operations of Drone-Hit East–West Crude Oil Pipeline?

[Financial News] Saudi Arabia is believed to have resumed operations of the East–West Crude Oil Pipeline, a key crude oil transport route that was halted following a drone attack. As a result, crude oil exports through Yanbu Port on the Red Sea are expected to resume soon.
Major foreign media outlets reported on the 22nd (local time) that Saudi Arabia had recently restarted the East–West Crude Oil Pipeline. Crude oil is currently being transported at a low rate, while Saudi Aramco is reportedly pursuing plans to increase throughput to about 4 million barrels per day. However, the timing of a return to normal transport levels remains uncertain.
With the pipeline back in operation, crude oil supplies to Saudi Aramco's refineries along the Red Sea are also expected to resume. Crude oil shipments bound for China may take place at Yanbu Port as early as today, according to reports.
Operations of the East–West Crude Oil Pipeline were suspended after a drone attack from Iraq on the 11th. Crude oil loading operations at Yanbu Port were halted as well.
The pipeline transports crude oil from eastern Saudi Arabia to the Red Sea and serves as a key alternative route for exporting crude without passing through the Strait of Hormuz. As transport through the Strait of Hormuz became difficult amid the fallout from the war with Iran, Saudi Arabia had been moving 4 million barrels of crude oil per day along this route to Yanbu Port—about 4% of the world's crude oil supply.
[email protected] Lee Jeong-hwa Reporter