Saudi Arabia's crucial East-West pipeline, which circumvents the Strait of Hormuz, is pumping oil at its full capacity, reaching 7 million barrels a day. This technical milestone is the culmination of the kingdom’s contingency plan to keep its oil flowing after the closure of its main export route. Tanker fleets have been redirected to the Red Sea port of Yanbu to collect the oil, providing a vital lifeline for global supply.

Crude exports via Yanbu have now reached about 5 million barrels a day, and the kingdom is also exporting 700,000 to 900,000 barrels a day of refined products. Of the 7 million barrels a day that go through the pipeline, 2 million are destined for Saudi refineries. This infrastructure is vital for the stability of the global energy market.

The Yanbu route only partially offsets the hit to supply from shutting down Hormuz, through which about 15 million barrels a day of crude shipments passed before the war. However, the bypass is one reason why oil prices have not reached the crisis-level highs of previous supply shocks. The current geopolitical situation, with Yemen's Houthis entering the war, increases concern in the oil market, as the Red Sea could become a new front in the conflict.

Although the Houthis have not indicated that they would attack tankers passing through the Red Sea and the Bab El-Mandeb Strait, they have previously threatened shipping in the area with drones and missiles. Saudi Arabia, with its historical role as a supplier of last resort, has prepared for decades for the worst-case scenario, demonstrating its commitment to reliability.

The pipeline, which runs across the Arabian Peninsula from the country's eastern oil fields to the industrial port city of Yanbu, is more than 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) long. It is a byproduct of a previous conflict—the 1980s Iran-Iraq war—which saw attacks on ships in the Strait, though nothing comparable to the unprecedented near-closure that the current conflict has caused.

The rapid implementation of the Saudi contingency plan, a few hours after the first US and Israeli strikes on Iran, demonstrates the country's preparedness and ability to adapt to changing geopolitical dynamics.