The timetable for restarting Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline is expected to become clear soon. US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said work was continuing after the pipeline was halted because of the attack.
Wright said the pipeline’s restart was not far away. He said he had remained in continuous contact with Saudi officials since the attack, adding that technical teams were examining the damage and that a clearer timetable for resuming operations would emerge soon.
Pipeline capacity equaled 4–5% of global supply
The pipeline, which was shut down after last week’s attacks, was one of the main routes for transporting oil without using the Strait of Hormuz. Before it was closed, the pipeline carried approximately 4–5 million barrels of crude oil per day, equivalent to about 4–5% of global oil supply.
Wright said attacks on energy infrastructure were not new and noted that Iran had carried out similar attacks in the past. He made the assessment while discussing the process of repairing the damage to the pipeline and resuming shipments.
Oil traffic around Yemen
Commenting on maritime traffic around Yemen, Wright said several million barrels of oil were transported through the region every day. He said most commercial tankers did not pass through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, adding that most used the route through the Suez Canal and Egypt’s pipeline network.
Wright also said Yemen’s Houthis had announced that they controlled some areas along the western coast and islands in the Red Sea. He included Mayyun Island, located in the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait, among those areas.
Transit through the Strait of Hormuz continues
Despite conflicting statements from Washington and Tehran about the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, Wright said significant volumes of oil and petroleum products continued to pass through the waterway.
Wright said more than 12 million barrels of oil and petroleum products had passed through the Strait of Hormuz the previous night. He said the seven-day average was above 10 million barrels per day and rising. Wright said US assessments were based on shipping manifests rather than estimates, adding that he received a report every morning listing the names of the vessels and their cargoes.
Refining capacity affects diesel supply
Wright said constraints on global refining capacity were increasing pressure in energy markets. He added that the United States was focused on increasing imports of refined petroleum products from the Middle East to ease supply shortages.
Wright said the sharp decline in Russia’s diesel exports was one of the reasons for the pressure. His assessment came after Donald Trump called on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to stop attacks on Russia’s refinery infrastructure. Wright said Moscow, previously an important supplier, was no longer exporting diesel.
Trump argued that attacks on diesel production facilities in Russia had contributed to the global diesel shortage.
