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Saudi Arabia shut its East-West Crude Oil Pipeline (Petroline) on 11 September 2026 as a precaution after drone strikes on 10-11 September hit pump stations in the Riyadh and Madinah regions.
Iraq confirmed the drones were launched from its Maysan province and dismissed the local commander; an umbrella group of Iran-backed Iraqi militias denied involvement.
The 1,200-km pipeline from Abqaiq to the Red Sea port of Yanbu had been carrying about 5 million barrels a day around the effectively closed Strait of Hormuz.
Brent crude crossed $100 a barrel, and the attack came alongside the Houthi seizure of Mayun Island in the Bab el-Mandeb — the route Yanbu cargoes use to reach Asia.
| Pipeline | Country / route | Status |
|---|---|---|
| East-West Pipeline (Petroline) | Saudi Arabia: Abqaiq → Yanbu (Red Sea) | Shut after 11 Sept 2026 attacks |
| Abu Dhabi Crude Oil Pipeline (ADCOP) | UAE: to Fujairah (Gulf of Oman) | Operational |
| Kirkuk-Ceyhan | Iraq → Turkey (Mediterranean) | Operating at marginal capacity |
| Basra-Aqaba | Iraq → Jordan (Red Sea) | Proposed |
Crude that avoids Hormuz by crossing Saudi Arabia is loaded at Yanbu; Asia-bound tankers then sail south through the Bab el-Mandeb, where the Houthis took Mayun Island the same day, while Europe-bound cargoes go north via the Suez Canal.
GS Paper II > International Relations > West Asia; GS Paper III > Energy Security
Current Affairs > International / Economy
Narrow sea passage whose blockage disrupts global trade, e.g. Hormuz, Bab el-Mandeb, Malacca
Popular name of Saudi Aramco's East-West Crude Oil Pipeline
Global benchmark crude price used for most internationally traded oil