LONDON: It was created four decades ago in the shadow of an earlier regional conflict that threatened the flow of oil and gas through the Strait of Hormuz. Now, Saudi Arabia’s Petroline is back in the headlines and easing pressure on world energy markets once again.
Saudi Arabia’s East-West Pipeline consists of twin pipes and a series of pumping stations that carry oil more than 1,200 km across often challenging terrain, connecting the Abqaiq oil field in the Eastern Province to the port of Yanbu on the Red Sea.
Now, with passage through the Strait of Hormuz severely restricted, the 40-year-old Petroline is reported to be operating at full capacity.
According to reports by Bloomberg, Saudi national oil company Aramco triggered plans to ramp up Petroline operations the moment the US-Israeli war with Iran began on Feb. 28.
By March 4, it was already operating at close to full capacity, and tankers that would normally be heading to terminals in the Arabian Gulf were instead heading to the Red Sea.
