Patanjali Civil Services Academy

Saudi Arabia: East–West Oil Pipeline [Prelims Bits]

Tags: Prelims Current events of national and international importance

Source: The Hindu

Houthi drone attacks forced Saudi Arabia to shut its major East–West oil pipeline, threatening global oil supplies.
East–West Pipeline (Petroline) transports crude oil from eastern Saudi Arabia to the Red Sea coast, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz.
Saudi Arabia had been rerouting about 4 million barrels per day (bpd) through the pipeline to Yanbu.
This is around 4% of global oil supply.
Yanbu: Major Saudi oil export terminal on the Red Sea.
Yanbu’s storage capacity: approximately 35 million barrels.
Additional storage:
- Ain Sukhna (Egypt, Red Sea): ~18 million barrels
- Sidi Kerir (Egypt, Mediterranean): ~20 million barrels
Without restoration of the pipeline, available stocks could support exports for only several days.
Strategic significance: The pipeline provides Saudi Arabia with an alternative export route that reduces dependence on the Strait of Hormuz.
Yanbu → Red Sea → Bab-el-Mandeb → Gulf of Aden provides access towards the Indian Ocean without shipping crude through the Strait of Hormuz.
Houthi movement: Iran-aligned armed group based primarily in Yemen; attacks on Red Sea shipping can disrupt global energy and trade routes.

Q1. Consider the following pairs:

How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?

(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) Only three
(d) All four

Answer: (c) Only three

Explanation:

Pair 1 is correctly matched: Yanbu is a major Saudi port and oil-export terminal on the Red Sea.
Pair 2 is correctly matched: Bab-el-Mandeb links the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
Pair 3 is incorrectly matched: The Strait of Hormuz connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman; it does not connect the Red Sea with the Arabian Sea.
Pair 4 is correctly matched: Sidi Kerir is an Egyptian oil-export terminal on the Mediterranean coast, linked to the Red Sea oil-transport network.