OIL | Saudi East-West Pipeline May Stay Partly Offline for Three to Five Weeks

Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline was severely damaged after a drone attack, and most of its capacity is expected to take three to five weeks to recover. According to Sina Finance, repairs may allow partial operations during that period, but it is still unclear how much crude can be transported, and the Saudi government and Saudi Aramco have not confirmed a specific restart time. Two regional officials familiar with the repair assessment said the damage involved a major pumping station, while some damaged equipment may take longer to restore. The attack took place on September 10 and involved several pipeline facilities in the Riyadh and Medina regions, causing injuries. Saudi Arabia said the drones were launched from Iraq, and at the request of Iraq's prime minister, it has not taken retaliatory action for now. Rystad Energy estimated that the pipeline has been carrying about 2.6 million to 4 million barrels of crude per day since late August. The pipeline links Saudi Arabia's eastern oil fields with the Red Sea port of Yanbu and has a maximum design capacity of 7 million barrels per day. Brent crude rose more than 2% on Monday and traded near $109 a barrel as supply concerns increased.