Overview
- Energy minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman authorised Saudi Aramco on Monday to repurpose a domestic gas pipeline for oil until May, with officials targeting about a 1.2 million barrels‑per‑day increase in export capacity within seven to eight weeks.
- The government said further investments and upgrades to the East–West pipeline network could raise additional capacity to as much as 3 million bpd in the medium term and aim to redirect roughly 10 million bpd over two to three years.
- Data cited by Reuters and Kpler show regional crude exports have largely recovered to pre‑war volumes, but refined fuel shipments remain well below half their previous levels because several regional refineries were damaged.
- Operational and security limits remain acute: the East–West corridor was struck by drones in September, Yanbu’s loading capacity may constrain extra volumes, the gas line must be cleaned and returned to gas use by May, and higher shipping and insurance costs persist.
- Aramco is exploring alternative export routes and expanding overseas storage to reduce reliance on chokepoints, a step that could ease some market risk if terminal upgrades and repairs keep pace with added pipeline flow.