Saudi Arabia resumes oil shipments via East-West pipeline

Saudi Arabia has resumed oil exports through a key cross-country pipeline after repairs following drone strikes earlier this month, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter, Bloomberg reports.

State-owned Saudi Aramco had been testing the East-West pipeline and increasing pressure last week, aiming to restore significant flows by the weekend, people familiar with the matter said. Overseas shipments have now resumed, the person said.

Aramco and Saudi Arabia’s Energy Ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The pipeline’s reopening restores an alternative export route that Saudi Arabia had relied on during the war with Iran, even as the kingdom has increased shipments through the Strait of Hormuz this month.

The resumption could ease pressure on oil buyers seeking supplies. Some European customers have been told they will receive no crude next month under term contracts, according to people familiar with the matter.

By Aghakazim Guliyev