Saudi East-West Pipeline Repairs Expected Within Days

The outage has already disrupted global energy flows, forcing Saudi Aramco to cancel or delay late-September shipments to European refiners. Data from Vortexa indicates no Saudi crude has departed from Yanbu since September 11, compelling buyers like Poland’s Orlen to source alternative supplies from the North Sea and the United States.

With Saudi production already hitting a three-decade low of 6 million barrels per day in August, the market remains highly sensitive to logistical bottlenecks. Brent crude prices climbed above $108 per barrel this week as traders factored in the potential for prolonged supply constraints. To mitigate the impact, Saudi Arabia is currently coordinating with the U.S. military to increase tanker movements through the Strait of Hormuz, providing a temporary workaround while engineers finalize the pipeline assessment.