Saudi Arabia Cookbook Vintage 1981 East West Petroline Crude Oil Pipeline Gas For Sale

The East–West Pipeline, also known as the Petroline, is a 1,201-kilometre-long (746 mi) pipeline in Saudi Arabia that runs from the Abqaiq oil field in the Eastern Province (near Bahrain and Qatar on the Persian Gulf coast) across the width of the Arabian Peninsula, to Yanbu at the Red Sea. It was built during the Iran–Iraq War in the 1980s to allow Saudi oil exports to bypass the tanker war taking place in the Strait of Hormuz.[1]

Saudi Aramco\'s East-West Pipeline consists of two pipes: one with a diameter of 142 centimetres (56 in) and another, originally built to transport natural gas liquids, with a diameter of 122 centimetres (48 in).[2][3] The pipelines had a combined capacity of 5 million barrels per day [Mbbl/d] (790,000 m3/d) in 2018.[4] In 2026, the second pipeline was converted from natural gas liquids to crude oil, increasing the system\'s stated capacity to 7 Mbbl/d (1,100,000 m3/d).[5][6] The pipeline connects oil production facilities in eastern Saudi Arabia with Yanbu on the Red Sea coast, providing an alternative route for exporting crude oil from the kingdom\'s western coast.[7][6]

At Yanbu, the pipeline supplies crude oil to three refineries and to export facilities. Up to 1 Mbbl/d (160,000 m3/d) can be supplied to the refineries, while exports through the King Fahd Industrial Port (Yanbu) have included approximately 1.1–1.4 Mbbl/d (170,000–220,000 m3/d) of Arab Light crude, with a stated loading limit of 3 Mbbl/d (480,000 m3/d).[8][9]

Yanbu\'s two oil-loading terminals, Yanbu North and Yanbu South, have a nominal combined loading capacity of approximately 4.5 Mbbl/d (720,000 m3/d) and a tested capacity of approximately 4 Mbbl/d (640,000 m3/d). In 2026, Vortexa estimated that loading capacity could fall to approximately 3 Mbbl/d (480,000 m3/d) under wartime conditions.[2][8]

The pipeline was built in the 1980s, \"amid fears that the Iran-Iraq war would cut off shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.\"[3] The pipeline has been converted at times to carry natural gas, and later converted back to carry crude oil.[10]

The 2019 Afif attack by Houthi drones targeted the pipeline in May 2019, temporarily shutting it down.[3]

During the 2026 Iran war and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz to non-Iranian vessels, it was converted to full capacity on 11 March 2026.[11] After conversion, the amount of oil transferred using the Bab-el-Mandeb strait rose by 21% in comparison to February 2026, all of it bound to Asia.[12] An Iranian drone attack on a pumping station reduced the throughput of the pipeline by 700,000 barrels per day (110,000 m3/d), as of 9 April.[13] Less than three days later, on 12 April, Saudi Arabia announced that the pipeline had been restored to full capacity.[14]

On 10 September 2026, a pumping station along the pipeline was hit by a drone attack, causing a fire.[15][16] Because of this attack, as well as others, on 11 September 2026, Saudi Arabia shutdown the entire pipeline as a precaution.[17] The attacks originated from the Maysan Governorate of Iraq, and the government responded by removing the Maysan operations commander from his post.[18] The attacks caused damage to pumping stations associated with the pipeline, with satellite imagery showing fires at multiple locations along the pipeline route including three pumping stations.[19] Saudi officials said emergency and specialized technical teams were deployed to secure the pipeline and assess its safety.[20] The shutdown halted crude oil loadings at Yanbu and led Saudi Aramco to cancel some crude cargoes to European customers. On September 18, Reuters reported that at least two European refiners had been told they would receive no Saudi crude in October.[19] Aramco subsequently increased crude exports from its eastern Gulf terminals and used ship-to-ship transfers near Oman to partially offset the disruption to Red Sea exports.[21]