Fresh Remote Sensing of Pipeline Attack in Saudi Arabia

by
Damage to pumping station in Saudi Arabia

Why is the East-West Pipeline in Saudi Arabia Important?

Saudi Arabia’s East-West Pipeline in Blue
  • The Strait of Hormuz Bottleneck: With the Strait of Hormuz facing blockades and disrupting major oil tanker routes, Saudi Arabia has relied heavily on its 800-mile East-West Pipeline. This critical infrastructure acts as a bypass to move oil overland directly to the Red Sea for export. However, the threat of Houthi attacks on Saudi vessels transiting the Bab-Al-Mandab strait has been constraining exports to the south, into the Gulf of Aden, and some oil has been moving north from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal and pipelines thru the Sinai Peninsula. Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) ships are too large to transit the Suez Canal. Much of Saudi crude is bound for Asia, so heading north and west, and then around the south of Africa, adds up to 3 weeks to trips from Saudi Arabia to Asia.
  • Targeted Pipeline Attack: Satellite imagery reviewed by The Lookout revealed major damage at a pumping station on the western 1/3 of the East-West Pipeline after it was struck by drone strikes (reportedly originating from Iraq), cutting off this vital alternate supply route.
  • Attack Purportedly Originated in Iraq: The Lookout has no primary sources to confirm this, we are just repeating other reporting of this incident.
  • Chokepoint Crisis in the Red Sea: Compounding the pipeline damage, Houthi forces in Yemen have expanded control along strategic coastal zones and islands overlooking the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, at the southern entrance to the Red Sea (between Djibouti and Yemen).
  • Global Trade Impact: With both the Hormuz exit and now Red Sea transit routes under severe threat, approximately 12% of global trade—and a significant portion of world oil supply moving between Asia and Europe—faces major disruption, driving severe upward pressure on global fuel and diesel prices.
  • Repairs to the Pumping Station Could Take Weeks: Saudi Arabia has ample resources to quickly repair the damage, but continued drone attacks could cause similar damage here or at other pumping stations along the East-West Pipeline.Repairs could take several weeks.