Yanbu Crude Loadings Halted After Saudi Pipeline Attack

Crude loadings at Yanbu, Saudi Arabia's major Red Sea oil-export hub, have been halted following attacks that damaged the kingdom's East-West pipeline, according to oil industry sources cited by ABC News and subsequent reports.

Crude shipments through Saudi Arabia's Red Sea port of Yanbu have been disrupted following attacks on the country's East-West pipeline. [Photo: Yemen News Agency]

The disruption has affected Saudi Arabia's ability to move crude to the Red Sea and use Yanbu as an alternative export route following disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

Reuters reported that the pipeline attack damaged three pumping stations and temporarily shut down operations at Yanbu.

The Yasref refinery at Yanbu has a processing capacity of about 400,000 barrels per day and is one of the major fuel-producing facilities on the Red Sea.

The East-West pipeline is particularly important because it allows Saudi Arabia to transport crude to the Red Sea without relying entirely on the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.

The recent disruption has prompted Saudi Aramco to cancel some crude deliveries to European refiners while seeking alternative shipping arrangements.

Reuters reported that Saudi Arabia was increasing ship-to-ship crude transfers near Oman's Sohar port to help offset the disruption. Aramco was also working toward a partial restart of the pipeline, with a full return to service expected to take longer.

Oil-market analysts have warned that prolonged disruptions could raise fuel costs, particularly for regions dependent on imported refined products. However, the eventual impact on US consumers will depend on the duration of the outage, alternative supplies and developments elsewhere in global oil markets.