消息人士：沙特拟扩建红海方向石油管道，绕开霍尔木兹海峡日增200万桶运力

Odaily Planet Daily News Five sources revealed that Saudi Arabia is considering expanding the capacity of its crude oil pipeline to the west coast on the Red Sea, enabling the country and its neighbors to transport more oil without passing through the Strait of Hormuz. This east-west pipeline, built in the early 1980s, has grown in strategic importance since the outbreak of the Iran war in February and the disruption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. The pipeline can deliver up to 7 million barrels per day of crude oil to the Yanbu port on the Red Sea. In May, the CEO of Saudi Aramco stated that about 2 million barrels per day supply refineries on the west coast, and about 5 million barrels per day are for export. Sources said Saudi Arabia is holding preliminary consultations with some neighboring countries on expanding the pipeline, planning to add approximately 2 million barrels per day of pipeline capacity. It is not yet clear whether Aramco's planned expansion involves upgrading existing infrastructure or building a new pipeline. One source said the expansion plan also includes a smaller product pipeline. Two sources said the scale of expansion could be between 1 million and 2 million barrels per day, with refined products also under consideration. Another source said the project would take several years, cost tens of billions of dollars, and require adjustments to Saudi Arabia's crude oil pricing mechanism.