Attack sparks small fire on Saudi East-West oil pipeline, flows unaffected

Fire on the pipeline

Saudi Arabia's East-West oil pipeline was attacked on Monday, 9 November, in the Medina region of the kingdom's west. The energy ministry told the state news agency SPA that a limited fire broke out and was then put out. No deaths or injuries were reported, and the ministry said the pipeline's operations had not been affected. Emergency teams and specialised technical crews were sent to the site straight after the attack to secure the area and check the facility. The ministry did not say who carried out the attack or how it was carried out.

Why the line matters

The pipeline runs about 1,200 kilometres across the Arabian Peninsula to the Red Sea port of Yanbu. It allows Saudi Arabia to export crude without sending it through the Strait of Hormuz, which the US-Israeli war with Iran has effectively shut. Reuters reported that Riyadh has been diverting about four million barrels of crude a day into the line, roughly 4% of global oil supply. One report put the pipeline's capacity at seven million barrels a day. Brent crude fell more than 4%, although the attack itself was reported to have made little impression on oil markets.

Earlier strikes and the wider campaign

Drone attacks had already hit the pipeline in September, forcing it to shut for several days. Saudi Arabia blamed Iraqi militias for those strikes, and satellite images later showed repair work and a bypass line near Al Dhekra in Medina province. The Houthis, who control Sanaa, have struck Saudi infrastructure repeatedly since their war with the kingdom resumed in July. On Sunday, 8 November, the Houthis claimed an attack on the Riyadh offices of Saudi Aramco, and the energy ministry said the Aramco Tower sustained minor damage. The Saudi-led coalition said the Houthis attacked King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh 20 times in 10 days in early October, killing at least 17 people and injuring more than 300.

Responsibility and reactions

The ministry's statement did not identify the attacker, and neither the Iraqi militias nor the Houthis immediately claimed the latest strike. The Houthis said in October that they had targeted a pumping station along the same pipeline. One report described Monday's attack as apparently carried out by the Houthis, but noted that its origin had not been specified. In its statement, the ministry described the response in these words:

“Emergency response teams and specialised technical teams responded immediately”

The Saudi-led coalition continues to carry out air strikes against Houthi positions in Yemen, while the Houthis keep pressing attacks on Saudi oil and airport sites. Monday's attack followed the Sunday strike on the Aramco offices in Riyadh by one day.