Saudi Aramco CEO highlights East-West Pipeline resilience

Saudi Aramco CEO Amin Nasser stated that the company’s East-West Pipeline cannot be completely disabled because it consists of multiple parallel lines, providing operational flexibility. Nasser emphasized that the company can address operational disruptions and restore operations within days rather than weeks or months.

Aramco currently utilizes three main export routes: the Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea route, and the SUMED pipeline through Egypt. To further enhance supply resilience, the company is studying the creation of a fourth and fifth export route and is exploring increased storage capacities outside the Kingdom, including in Japan.

These remarks follow a temporary suspension of the East-West Pipeline on September 13 due to drone attacks, which halted crude oil loading at the port of Yanbu. The 1,200-kilometer pipeline, also known as Petroline, connects Abqaiq in the east to Yanbu on the Red Sea coast, with a capacity of approximately seven million barrels per day. The pipeline has become increasingly vital for bypassing potential maritime disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.