Why Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline matters for global oil

In another blow to global oil markets, drones struck Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline last Thursday, prompting the kingdom to suspend operations.

The 1,200km (746-mile) pipeline, which carries roughly 4 to 5 million barrels of oil per day (bpd), links the country’s major oil-producing fields in the east with the Red Sea port of Yanbu, allowing Saudi Arabia to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, wh...