Saudi East-West Pipeline Runs at 7M bpd as Hormuz Closure Drags

Saudi Aramco’s 1,200-km East-West Pipeline (Petroline) is operating at its rated maximum of 7 million barrels per day as the Strait of Hormuz closure enters its fifth week. The route runs from Abqaiq to the Red Sea port of Yanbu and was built as a contingency during the Iran-Iraq War. In peacetime, the East-West Pipeline typically carried about 1.7–2.8 million bpd. Now, Saudi Arabia has converted parallel natural gas liquids lines to crude service, enabling the 7 million bpd throughput. Approximately 2 million bpd is routed to western domestic refineries, while the remaining volume is shipped for export via Yanbu. Shipping data suggests Yanbu’s crude loadings are constrained by wartime scheduling and tidal windows, with a five-day average crude departure rate roughly between 3.66 and 5 million bpd against an estimated terminal capacity of 4–4.5 million bpd. Analysts estimate Saudi Arabia is moving about 50–70% of pre-war export volumes through this alternative. Hormuz disruption is still severe: the strait normally carries about 20% of global oil supply, and tanker traffic has collapsed since late-February U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran. Iran has reportedly mined parts of the route and controls passage in other sections. Oil markets are reacting. WTI ended March 27 roughly between $99.64 and $101.18/bbl (up more than 5% on the day), and Brent traded around $105.32–$112.57/bbl. Physical Dubai crude was near $126/bbl. Coordinated strategic reserve releases of about 400 million barrels are underway. If Hormuz traffic does not recover by mid-April, sources warn prices could reach $150–$200/bbl in a worst case. A second bypass, the UAE’s Habshan-Fujairah pipeline, is also running to provide alternative export capacity.