Houthi attack forces shutdown of critical Saudi pipeline

Details are emerging from the Houthi attack on Thursday against Saudi Arabia's east-west pipeline, and the situation looks troubling.

Apparently, several pumping stations were struck in the western region.

The pipeline's significance is enormous. It can transport as much as 7 million barrels daily, though analysts estimate usable capacity at 5-6 mbpd. Built as a backup route for Hormuz exports, it entered service after the war.

This infrastructure has served as a vital outlet for bringing oil to market. Currently, it is offline.

Saudi Arabia released a statement that confirms the shutdown:

East-West Pipeline shut down as a precaution following multiple attacks

An official source at the Ministry of Energy stated that the East-West Pipeline in the Riyadh and Madinah regions was subjected to multiple attacks on the morning of Thursday, 10 September 2026. The pipeline was shut down as a precautionary measure. The attacks resulted in a number of injuries, and medical care was provided to those affected.

The source said emergency and specialised technical teams responded immediately following the attacks, taking the necessary measures to secure the pipeline and assess its safety in line with approved safety procedures and emergency response plans, in coordination with the relevant authorities. Any further developments will be announced in due course.

Notably, the statement mentions 'multiple' attacks, aligning with earlier reports that indicated up to five separate strikes over a 100-kilometre stretch. The specifics will be crucial.

If only one station is damaged, service could resume within days but at lower throughput. However, damage to several stations could halt flows for weeks or months. The locations matter greatly because the region includes mountainous terrain. On the wrong side of a mountain, oil cannot cross at all. Even if the stations are in accessible spots, output might still be sharply reduced.

Regardless, the entire volume from the pipeline is absent from the market, which was already strained. This explains Thursday's sharp oil price jump. There is doubt whether the market fully appreciates the impact. For context, 20 million barrels per day typically move through Hormuz; with the pipeline operating and US escorts, about 11-16 mbpd were getting out. The outage will reduce that by half.