Key facts
- Satellite images show extensive damage to a Saudi East-West oil pipeline pumping station.
- The damage occurred after a drone strike on Friday, September 11, 2026.
- The East-West pipeline has a capacity of about 7 million barrels per day and normally transports around 4 million barrels of crude daily.
- The volume represents roughly 4% of global oil supplies.
- Stocks at the Red Sea port of Yanbu could sustain shipments for only five to seven days while the pipeline remains offline.
- Saudi Arabia has blamed the attack on drones launched from Iraq.
Satellite imagery has revealed extensive damage to Saudi Arabia’s East-West crude oil pipeline in the desert southeast of Medina following a reported drone strike on Friday, September 11, 2026. Images released on Sunday, September 13, showed a pumping station on the 1,200-kilometer pipeline badly damaged after the attack, which forced Saudi Arabia to shut the route. The process area appeared heavily blackened by fire, while crude oil that escaped the facility was visible across the surrounding desert beyond its perimeter.
Saudi Arabia has not released a detailed assessment of the damage or said when the pipeline will resume operations. Sources cited by Reuters gave differing repair estimates, with one saying restoration could take up to six weeks and another suggesting limited pumping could resume sooner.
The East-West pipeline has a capacity of about 7 million barrels per day and normally transports around 4 million barrels of crude daily to the Red Sea port of Yanbu. That volume represents roughly 4% of global oil supplies. Three industry sources familiar with Saudi export operations told Reuters that stocks at Yanbu could sustain shipments for only five to seven days while the pipeline remains offline.
Saudi Arabia has blamed the attack on drones launched from Iraq. Iraqi authorities have said the aircraft originated from Iraqi territory and have opened an investigation. The incident comes as conflict continues to threaten energy infrastructure and shipping routes across the region. Iran-aligned Houthi forces in Yemen have also intensified attacks against Saudi targets.