Saudi Arabia says the pipeline that lets it export oil without using the Strait of Hormuz is now carrying 5.8 million barrels a day. The line was attacked by drones last month and was back in use within days, the kingdom’s energy minister said.

Saudi Arabia’s energy minister has said that the East-West Pipeline is carrying 5.8 million barrels of oil a day, Al Jazeera reported.

Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman made the remarks on Tuesday, October 6, during a panel discussion at the GCC 2026 Forum in Manama, the capital of Bahrain.

Back in Use Within Days

The pipeline was hit last month by drone strikes that have been blamed on Iraqi militia.

“Not everyone knows that within five or six days, we began using the pipeline again after the major attack that struck it,” the minister said, according to Saudi media. “And, thank God, as of this morning we’re back up to 5.8 million barrels.”

At the time of the attack, in early September, the Saudi Ministry of Energy said the pipeline had been temporarily shut as a “precaution” while specialist teams assessed its safety.

Why the Pipeline Matters

The line runs for 1,200 kilometres (750 miles), linking Saudi Arabia’s main oilfields in the east of the country with the Red Sea port of Yanbu.

That allows the kingdom to export oil without sending tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, which has largely been closed since the war on Iran began in late February.

Since then, Saudi Arabia has used the pipeline to reroute some 4 million barrels a day to Yanbu. That is equivalent to about 4 percent of global supply.

The Pipeline in Numbers

  • Length: 1,200km
  • Built: 1981
  • Maximum capacity: 7 million barrels a day
  • Flow reported by the minister: 5.8 million barrels a day
  • Also known as: the Petroline

A Route With Its Own Risks

The Red Sea is not a risk-free alternative. Flows through the pipeline were about 2 million barrels a day in August, according to the commodities data firm Kpler. That was the lowest monthly level since January, as attacks by Yemen’s Houthi group made the Red Sea route difficult to use.

The figure given by the minister therefore represents a sharp increase on August, and leaves the pipeline running at more than four-fifths of its maximum capacity.

Image: Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman in 2022. Photo by IAEA Imagebank via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.