Saudi oil stocks in Egypt and the East-West pipeline halt
Saudi oil stocks in Egypt are held at the Ain Sokhna and Sidi Kerir terminals within the Suez-Mediterranean (SUMED) system, which has a storage capacity of about 40 million barrels and an operating capacity of about 2.8 million barrels per day. The East-West pipeline, which normally carries millions of barrels per day to Yanbu, has stopped, and repair estimates range from 5 to 6 weeks. The stocks provide temporary supply but are not full and will be depleted gradually if the pipeline does not resume operations.
Why it matters: The episode illustrates how energy infrastructure and chokepoints shape supply security, as the halt of the East-West pipeline and disruption at the Strait of Hormuz test the role of Egyptian storage and SUMED in maintaining crude flows.