Saudi Arabia Reports Attack on East-West Pipeline in Medina Region

Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline was attacked in the Medina region in the west of the country on Monday, according to state media.

An official at the Saudi Ministry of Energy said the pipeline was targeted, causing a “limited fire” that was extinguished, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

“No injuries or fatalities were reported, and pipeline operations were unaffected,” it said.

The report did not identify the party behind the attack.

The 1,200km (745-mile) pipeline runs through the desert across the Arabian Peninsula and is essential for bypassing the Strait of Hormuz. It was shut down for several days in September after drone attacks, which Saudi Arabia said were launched from Iraq.

Since the conflict disrupted oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, Riyadh has rerouted about 4 million barrels per day of crude via the East-West pipeline to Yanbu, equivalent to about 4 percent of global supply.

The line carries Saudi crude to the Red Sea port of Yanbu, which handled the bulk of the kingdom’s export growth in October.

OPEC crude production rose by 1.38 million barrels per day in October to 22.87 million bpd, according to a Reuters survey on Monday, led by Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iraq. The group’s 11 members pumped 25.48 million bpd in February, the last month before the war disrupted exports and production across the Middle East.

A separate Bloomberg survey put October output at 22.8 million bpd, up 930,000 bpd from September and 88% of February levels. Saudi Arabia raised production by 970,000 bpd to 9.2 million bpd, more than the group’s net increase, and is still about 800,000 bpd below early-year rates. Iraq added 140,000 bpd to reach 4.15 million bpd, and Kuwait added 130,000 bpd to 2 million bpd. Iran’s output fell 120,000 bpd to 1.9 million bpd, its lowest in Bloomberg survey data going back to 1989, and no tankers have been seen at Kharg Island since late August.

The Iran war has made it impossible for OPEC+ to deliver the production increases it pledged. The members covered by the group’s quota deal pumped about 25 million bpd in August, against a combined target of 31.01 million bpd, and the group held quotas steady for October and November after raising them every month since April. It then extended the hold to December. Members are now reviewing how much crude each country can technically produce ahead of a November 29 ministerial meeting that will set 2027 output targets.

Sources

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