Saudi Arabia restarts East-West Pipeline, Yanbu crude shipments set to resume

Mettis Global, citing Reuters, reported that Saudi Arabia has brought its East-West Pipeline back into operation, and loadings of crude at Yanbu, a Red Sea port, could begin again later on Tuesday. The line is running at a low pumping rate for now, while Saudi Aramco works to lift the flow gradually toward about 4 million barrels per day. These details came from sources cited by the news agency, and Aramco did not comment at the time of publication.

Drone attacks on September 13 had forced the line to shut, and the attacks also disrupted loadings at Yanbu. The line is used to send about 4 million barrels per day into that port, a volume near 4% of world oil supply.

Traders said the restart added to selling pressure, and Brent crude futures slid by more than $2 a barrel, reaching their lowest point since September 8. Aramco's refineries on the Red Sea are also set to regain supply as flows recover, and a single crude cargo is due to leave Yanbu on Tuesday with China as the destination.