A map showing the Strait of Hormuz and a 3D printed oil pipeline are seen in this illustration taken March 23, 2026. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
By Clara Ferreira Marques
Apr 12, 2026 (Bloomberg) –Saudi Arabia has restored the full pumping capacity of its East-West pipeline to 7 million barrels a day, rehabilitating a vital link for oil exports via the Red Sea.
A strike last week — hours after a ceasefire was declared in the Iran war — damaged one of 11 pumping stations along the 746-mile (1,200-kilometer) conduit, reducing throughput by 700,000 barrels a day. Saudi Arabia has quadrupled crude shipments from its Red Sea terminals since the end of February to work around the near total shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz.
Output from Saudi Aramco’s offshore Manifa oil production facility was also restored, the energy ministry said Sunday, though work continues at the Khurais onshore complex. Attacks on Manifa and Khurais had cut production capacity by about 300,000 barrels a day each, the state-run Saudi Press Agency said last week.
“This quick recovery reflects the high operational resilience and crisis management efficiency of Saudi Aramco and the kingdom’s energy ecosystem as a whole, thereby enhancing the reliability and continuity of supplies to local and global markets,” the energy ministry said.
Khurais produces the type of light crude that Aramco had been pumping through the East-West pipeline, while Manifa and Aramco’s other offshore deposits generally pump thicker and heavier barrels.
© 2026 Bloomberg L.P.
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When Donald Trump returned to the White House in 2025, “energy dominance” was the bedrock of his economic and foreign policy plans. But an unpopular war with Iran and soaring household fuel costs have now made energy policy a major liability for the US president heading into next month’s midterm elections.
Saudi Arabia is in talks with foreign governments to give state-owned Aramco access to their strategic oil storage, as the kingdom seeks to make its supplies to customers more resilient during disruptions, Chief Executive Officer Amin Nasser said.
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