From Yanbu to Sohar: Tracking Saudi Arabia’s alternative oil routes
The world's second-largest crude exporter is rerouting crude via dark shipments and ship-to-ship transfers off Oman.
Saudi Arabia’s oil exports took another blow last week when drone attacks knocked out part of the country’s East-West pipeline, halting oil flow and removing 4-5 million barrels per day (bpd) of oil from global supply.
It is unclear how long repairs will take, although The Associated Press estimates three to five weeks, citing two regional officials.
The 1,200km (746-mile) pipeline connects the kingdom’s main oil-producing fields in the east of the country with Yanbu port on the Red Sea coast in the west, allowing Saudi crude to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, which has largely remained closed since the United States-Israel war on Iran began on February 28.
Shipments heading south to Asia must pass through the Bab al-Mandeb strait – the second-best route after Hormuz.