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Saudi Oil Exports Resume After East-West Pipeline Repairs

By Drooid · Sep 28, 2026, 10:44 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Saudi Arabia Resumes Exports

Saudi Arabia resumed exports through the East-West pipeline after drone-strike repairs.
The pipeline can move 7 million barrels per day, with 2 million bpd feeding refineries.
Yanbu shipments restarted, ending a 17-day halt that left some European customers without allocations.
Full capacity may need six to eight weeks to restore, per late-September estimates.
Crude exports via the Strait of Hormuz rose to 3.6 million bpd in September, up from ~900,000 bpd in August.

Summary

Saudi VLCC Departures

Regional crude exports reached 12.8 million barrels per day in September, the highest since the February war began.
Exports via the Strait of Hormuz were projected at about 7.4 million barrels per day this month.
Nineteen VLCCs, each carrying roughly 2 million barrels, left the strait last week with Saudi oil.
Increased Saudi shipments pushed ship-to-ship transfers in the Gulf of Oman toward capacity limits, driving up global crude shipping costs.

History

Historical Context

Iraq’s August 1990 invasion of Kuwait triggered fears of oil shortages; by January 1991 Iraqi forces dumped roughly 4 million barrels into the Persian Gulf, underscoring the strategic value of the Strait of Hormuz. The September 2024 restart of Gulf shipments and a record 7.4 million barrels per day through Hormuz mirror the 1990-91 reliance on this chokepoint to keep global markets supplied.

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Saudi Arabia Resumes Exports

Saudi Arabia resumed exports through the East-West pipeline after drone-strike repairs.
The pipeline can move 7 million barrels per day, with 2 million bpd feeding refineries.
Yanbu shipments restarted, ending a 17-day halt that left some European customers without allocations.
Full capacity may need six to eight weeks to restore, per late-September estimates.
Crude exports via the Strait of Hormuz rose to 3.6 million bpd in September, up from ~900,000 bpd in August.

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