Egypt’s Sumed pipeline is still funneling out Saudi crude at full capacity despite Thursday’s drone strikes on the Saudi port of Yanbu, government officials tell EnterpriseAM. Flows to the 2.5 mn bbl / d pipeline that serves as one of the few remaining avenues for Saudi energy imports have been unaffected by Iranian attacks on the Samref refinery in Yanbu and all export contracts are being fulfilled, we were told.

Confidence in the export route to bypass the closed Hormuz Strait is still strong according to the officials we spoke to, who tell us they are looking to continue attracting shipments to then re-export via vessels in the Mediterranean. Capacities could also be increased by utilizing recently upgraded storage facilities in the Red Sea, they added.

Why this matters: The almost complete shutdown of energy imports from Saudi Arabia and other GCC nations has positioned the Sumed pipeline as one of the few ways the Kingdom can export energy to the international market. The route’s relative resilience to Iranian attacks should mean that it will channel considerably more this year than the 50 mn barrels moved in 2025, and potentially serve as a model to build on as GCC nations look to diversify and secure export routes in the longer term.

But despite operations running smoothly, Red Sea transits between KSA and Egypt remain limited, with a backlog of shipments at Saudi’s Duba and Yanbu ports and Egypt’s Safaga Port, in addition to similar issues for Jordan-bound Egyptian exports via Aqaba.

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