A new attack stops the pumping of oil by the Saudi East-West pipeline

A source in the oil sector in the region told RIA Novosti that the East-West pipeline was subjected to a new strike last Sunday that targeted a pumping station in the Khurais area, noting that the damage was very serious, which resulted in stopping the line again, after a short period of resuming pumping.

This story intersected with what was reported by Agence France-Presse, as a source in the energy sector told the agency on Monday that the transport of oil through the pipeline had stopped again after the strategic facility was subjected to a new attack on Sunday. The source added that the targeted station in Khurais had never been targeted before, and that the damage was severe.

On the other hand, a source told Reuters that oil flows through the pipeline were not subject to any interruption, following media reports that it was disrupted again. Neither the Saudi authorities nor Aramco have issued an immediate comment, neither positive nor negative, yet.

This comes after the Yemeni Houthi group announced, on Sunday, targeting sites belonging to Aramco in Riyadh and the Khurais region, confirming that attacks were carried out with missiles and drones that caused fires to break out, without specifying the nature of these sites.

The source who spoke to RIA Novosti conveyed that the situation in energy facilities in the Gulf countries is changing at a rapid pace, considering that the main challenge facing these countries, including Saudi Arabia, currently does not lie in production capabilities as much as it lies in securing reliable export routes.

The line was previously attacked, and Saudi Arabia announced the suspension of its work after it was targeted by drones originating from Iraq. The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that the attack extended to the Riyadh and Medina regions, and resulted in human casualties and some material damage.

Aramco resumed exports through the line late last month, as it began loading ships at Yanbu Port on Sunday, September 27, and was operating it at a rate of approximately 3.5 million barrels per day.