Saudi Arabia pumped 5.8 million barrels of crude oil through its East-West pipeline to the Red Sea port of Yanbu by Tuesday morning, Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said.
The state-backed delivery update follows the restart of the pipeline after drone attacks forced Saudi authorities to shut down operations on September 11 and halt crude loadings at Yanbu, according to three sources briefed on the matter.
Saudi Arabia blamed Iraqi militias for the drone strikes, which struck facilities along the trans-peninsular pipeline that transports crude oil across the country from eastern fields.
Despite recent media reports suggesting a fresh operational disruption, a source told Reuters on Monday that oil flow through the pipeline had not been interrupted.
The report of uninterrupted throughput comes amid continuing military hostilities between Saudi Arabia and Houthi forces from neighboring Yemen.
Bypassing the Strait of Hormuz
The East-West pipeline provides Saudi Arabia with a strategic land-based route to transport petroleum across the Arabian Peninsula to the Red Sea, bypassing vulnerable maritime choke points.
Riyadh has relied heavily on the pipeline since a military conflict involving US and Israeli forces against Iran disrupted vessel movement through the Strait of Hormuz.
The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow waterway between Oman and Iran that connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, serving as one of the world's most critical oil transit corridors.
Using the pipeline, Saudi Arabia has redirected approximately 4 million barrels per day to Yanbu, a volume that accounts for roughly 4 per cent of global crude oil supply.
Global Market Conditions
Yanbu is a major coastal port city in western Saudi Arabia, functioning as the kingdom's principal western hub for shipping crude oil and refined products to global buyers.
Reflecting on current supply constraints, the chief executive of Chevron noted that key fundamentals of the oil and gas market were becoming increasingly restrictive.
Chevron Corporation is a major American multinational energy firm that produces crude oil, natural gas, and refined fuels across international markets.
