Saudi Arabia begins reopening its East-West oil export route

Saudi Arabia has begun restarting the East-West pipeline, the cross-country route that carries crude from its eastern oil fields to Yanbu on the Red Sea. The system was shut on September 13 after drone attacks, which also stopped crude loadings at Yanbu and removed a useful alternative to shipping oil out through Gulf ports. People briefed on the operations said oil was initially flowing at a low rate and that Yanbu exports could resume soon, so this is a gradual return rather than a full restoration. For Aramco and its customers, reopening the line restores flexibility: more Saudi barrels can again reach buyers from the Red Sea while the company rebuilds normal export flows.