Saudi Arabia has restored full pumping capacity on the 7mn b/d East–West crude pipeline and recovered production capacity lost at the Manifa oil field following recent attacks, the energy ministry said on Sunday.
Capacity on the East–West pipeline has returned to about 7mn b/d after falling by roughly 700,000 b/d following a strike on one of its pumping stations, the ministry said. Around 300,000 b/d of lost production capacity at the Manifa offshore field has also been restored. The ministry said both recoveries were achieved within a short period of time.
Repair work is ongoing at the Khurais field, where production capacity was also reduced by about 300,000 b/d. The ministry said it would announce full restoration once repairs are completed.
Saudi Arabia issued a statement on 9 April confirming that the East–West pipeline and the two fields, along with several refineries and port infrastructure, had been damaged in Iranian attacks. It did not disclose the timing of the strikes, but Argus understands that almost all occurred after the announcement of the US–Iran ceasefire on 7 April.
The two-week ceasefire remains in place for now, although peace talks in Pakistan this weekend ended without agreement.
The East–West pipeline carries crude from Saudi Arabia's eastern fields to the Red Sea port of Yanbu and has become the kingdom's main export route since flows through the strait of Hormuz were effectively blocked. The pipeline had reached full capacity of around 7mn b/d in late March.
