Red Sea oil pipeline halted as Houthi strikes seize Yemeni port, Saudi says

Saudi Arabia announced the immediate shutdown of its East‑West Crude Oil Pipeline after a series of attacks linked to the Iran‑backed Houthi militia, NPR reported. The decision came hours after the group seized a strategic Red Sea port city, a development that the Saudi energy ministry said threatened the safety of the pipeline’s Red Sea terminal.

In an interview on NPR, analyst April Longley Alley of the Washington Institute explained that the captured port gives the Houthis a foothold on the Red Sea coastline, allowing them to launch more frequent missile and drone strikes against Saudi infrastructure. "Control of a port means they can stage attacks closer to the pipeline’s export point," Alley said, underscoring the tactical shift in the Yemen conflict.

The pipeline, stretching roughly 800 kilometers from the oil‑rich fields of the Eastern Province to the Red Sea terminal at Yanbu, moves about 5 million barrels of crude each day. By routing oil directly to the Red Sea, Saudi Arabia avoids the longer Gulf of Aqaba passage and reduces shipping time for European and Asian markets. Its closure therefore removes a critical artery for the world’s largest oil exporter.

Since the 2015 escalation of the Saudi‑UAE coalition’s intervention in Yemen, the Houthis have increasingly targeted oil facilities, using a blend of ballistic missiles, sea‑borne drones, and improvised explosive devices. Their campaign has already forced occasional suspensions of tanker traffic through the Bab el‑Mandeb strait, prompting insurers to raise rates and prompting global markets to watch the Red Sea closely.

Analysts warn that the pipeline’s shutdown could tighten global oil supplies, especially as the market already grapples with production cuts from OPEC+ members. While Saudi officials have not set a timeline for resumption, they indicated that alternative export routes via the Persian Gulf remain operational, albeit at higher logistical cost.

The incident highlights the broader vulnerability of energy infrastructure in conflict zones and may prompt a reassessment of security protocols for offshore and on‑shore assets. As the Houthis consolidate control over the newly captured port, regional powers are likely to weigh diplomatic and military options to safeguard the flow of oil through this vital corridor.