Saudi Arabia's crude oil exports rose in September to their highest level since the war with Iran began about seven months ago. Kpler data puts the month's loadings at roughly 6 million barrels a day, back in line with the monthly average for 2025, even after a drone attack damaged and shut the East-West Petroline.
The increase has eased concerns over Saudi export capacity and the impact on global supply. Exports climbed nearly 80% from about 3.4 million barrels a day in August. The pipeline shutdown had previously helped push Brent crude close to $110 a barrel, but prices later retreated as the disruption to actual supply proved smaller than initially feared.
Saudi Shipments Return to the Strait of Hormuz
The East-West Petroline has long provided Saudi Arabia with a route around the Strait of Hormuz. During the war with Iran, Iranian attacks on tankers transiting the waterway led Saudi Arabia to move crude from its eastern oil fields through the pipeline to the Red Sea port of Yanbu, where it could be loaded for export.
After the pipeline was damaged and shut following a drone attack launched from the direction of Iraq this month, Saudi Arabia redirected some exports through the Strait of Hormuz. The US military has established a shipping corridor along Oman's coast, a route that other Gulf states have used for months to transport crude. Tankers passing through the strait nevertheless remain exposed to Iranian attacks, leaving shipping operations subject to ongoing security risks.
Matt Smith, head of commodities research at Kpler, said the rise in Gulf exports reflected both the logistical adjustment following the pipeline shutdown and a possible improvement in confidence around using the Strait of Hormuz as more vessels began transiting the route.
Hormuz Volumes Remain Below Prewar Levels
Kpler data shows that the seven-day average of crude exports through the Strait of Hormuz reached 13.2 million barrels a day in the week through September 23. That remained about 4 million barrels a day below the roughly 17 million barrels a day recorded before the war disrupted shipping.
The recovery in Saudi exports therefore does not mean Gulf shipping has returned to normal. Traffic through the strait remains below its pre-conflict level, while tanker security, insurance costs and schedule reliability continue to influence available supply. For the oil market, the key variables in the coming weeks will be whether Saudi Arabia can sustain shipments through the strait and whether other producers continue to rely on the same route.
East-West Pipeline May Be Running at Low Rates
The rise in Saudi exports has coincided with signs that the East-West Petroline may have restarted. People familiar with the industry said the pipeline resumed operating at low levels earlier this week and is gradually increasing throughput. Saudi authorities have not publicly confirmed that the pipeline is back in service.
Saudi Aramco Chief Executive Amin Nasser told Japan's Nikkei on Thursday that temporary disruptions to oil infrastructure typically last "days, not weeks or months," adding that this had broadly been the case in previous incidents. He did not provide a specific update on the current status of the East-West pipeline.
What can be confirmed publicly is that Saudi crude exports increased sharply in September, while details on the pipeline repair and its eventual throughput remain limited. A faster-than-expected restart would gradually restore Saudi Arabia's ability to bypass the Strait of Hormuz. If repairs remain constrained, export flows will continue to depend more heavily on the security of the waterway.