The Saudi Ministry of Energy announced Friday evening the temporary closure of the East-West crude oil pipeline, citing damage from recent attacks, according to a ministry statement. No timeline for resuming operations was given.
Friday evening, the Saudi Ministry of Energy officially confirmed the temporary closure of the East-West crude oil pipeline, citing damage from recent attacks. The statement did not provide a timeline for resuming operations.
The confirmation follows developments earlier Friday. At 19:54 Jerusalem, satellite imagery analyzed by open-source intelligence revealed that a pumping station on the pipeline had been completely destroyed in a Thursday attack. At the same hour, the ministry reported that Houthi strikes had damaged multiple substations and caused 'some injuries,' leading to the initial shutdown announcement.
The East-West Pipeline is a strategic asset, allowing Saudi Arabia to export crude via the Red Sea, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz. The Houthis, an Iranian-backed group, have intensified attacks on Saudi energy infrastructure this summer, as The Zioneer has documented, including a strike on the Jazan refinery in July that forced a two-week shutdown.
The full extent of damage to the pipeline and the expected repair timeline remain unconfirmed.
2 developments
Source and signal
- Open-source intake