Saudi Arabia’s state-owned oil company, Saudi Aramco, temporarily halted oil pumping along its East-West Pipeline on Tuesday after drone attacks targeted two of its pumping stations. Yemen’s Houthi movement claimed responsibility for the operation.
The attacks occurred on pumping stations located in the provinces of Dawadmi and Afif, which are part of the greater Riyadh region. The pipeline, which has a capacity of approximately 5 million barrels per day, transports crude oil 1,200 kilometers (746 miles) from the country’s eastern oilfields to the Red Sea port of Yanbu in the west.
In a statement released through the state-run Saudi Press Agency, Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih confirmed the attacks occurred between 6:00 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. local time. He described the incident as an “act of terrorism and sabotage” that targeted global oil supplies. Al-Falih reported that one station sustained a fire, which was contained, and resulted in minor damage.
Saudi Aramco announced it had stopped pumping through the pipeline as a precautionary measure to assess the damage and conduct repairs. The company stated that its oil and gas supplies to customers were not impacted, as it worked to offset the disruption.
A military spokesman for the Houthi movement, which is fighting a Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen, announced in a televised statement that its forces had carried out drone attacks on “vital Saudi installations.” The spokesman described the operation as a response to what he called the “aggression and siege” against the people of Yemen.
The East-West Pipeline provides Saudi Arabia with a strategic alternative route for its oil exports, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime chokepoint.
Following the news, international oil prices increased. Brent crude futures, a global benchmark, rose more than 1.5% to over $71 per barrel in Tuesday trading.
The incident occurred during a period of heightened tensions in the region. Two days prior, the Saudi government reported that two of its oil tankers were among four commercial vessels subjected to “sabotage operations” near the coast of the United Arab Emirates. Officials did not specify who was responsible for the vessel incidents.
Saudi Aramco later confirmed that pumping operations at the affected stations were resumed after the necessary inspections and repairs were completed. Minister al-Falih reiterated that the production and export of Saudi oil were proceeding without interruption.
