Saudi Arabia seeks to resume half of key pipeline within days
The line has been offline since a September attack that hit two pump stations, according to satellite imagery analysed in earlier reporting.
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Map: The Gulf and Hormuz, marking Abqaiq
UpdateWednesday, September 16, 2026 at 12:05 PM ET
The pipeline is identified as the East-West Pipeline. Saudi Arabia plans to restore partial flow by routing oil around the damaged section, with full capacity expected to return in about six weeks.
Saudi Arabia is aiming to bring half of a major oil pipeline back into service within days. The pipeline normally carries 4 to 5 million barrels a day around the Strait of Hormuz, according to Reuters.
The line has been shut since a September attack. Satellite imagery analysed in earlier reporting showed two pump stations were struck in a drone attack on September 10. Repair estimates have since lengthened, moving from an initial three-to-five week timeline to six-to-eight weeks for full restoration, though the U.S. energy secretary said the pipeline should be running again soon.
The outage also forced Saudi Arabia to suspend loadings at Yanbu port, which holds only five to seven days of export storage. Brent crude rose 3.0% to $108.86 a barrel and WTI jumped 4.7% to $106.15 while the pipeline sat idle, and crude climbed roughly $5 a barrel further once the Yanbu loadings were halted.
Security concerns around the pipeline remain live. Kan News has reported that Israel shared navigation intelligence on the Bab al-Mandab strait with Saudi Arabia as Houthi forces advanced near the waterway, and earlier reporting said Britain's prime minister had agreed to send military advisers to Saudi Arabia, with further requests for help defending oil infrastructure under consideration.
A partial resumption within days would chip away at the supply tightness that has driven crude up over $5 a barrel since the pipeline shut. That would be marginally bullish for oil, but only if the timeline holds. Markets have already priced in an eventual repair, so the move now depends on whether Saudi Arabia delivers faster than the three-to-five week estimates officials cited earlier.