Saudi Aramco can restore disrupted operations within days, President and CEO Amin Nasser said during an interview in Tokyo on Sept. 24. The company is actively exploring alternative export routes as it faces growing threats linked to the Iran war.

Drone strikes damaged three pumping stations on the kingdom’s East-West pipeline. The attack forced an immediate operational shutdown.

Pipeline closures disrupted crude loadings at the Red Sea port of Yanbu. The state producer also cancelled scheduled deliveries to at least two European refining clients. To bypass blocked channels and maintain physical flow, Aramco ramped up crude shipments through the Gulf by running ship-to-ship transfers off the port of Sohar in Oman. The producer plans to bring the East-West line back to partial service within days. Full capacity will take six weeks.

Redundant logistics corridors have become an urgent operational requirement rather than a long-term contingency. Attacks near Red Sea shipping lanes and the Strait of Hormuz drove crude prices up roughly 20 per cent within a single month. Shipping operators face surging insurance premiums and extended transit schedules around Africa. That raises raw material and transport costs for manufacturers and retailers across Asia.

Offshore transfer operations off Oman offer short-term volume stability for Asian industrial buyers relying on Middle Eastern crude. But relying on marine transfers creates bottlenecks at regional hubs. Turnaround times and freight overheads are rising as a result. Energy importers in Japan, South Korea, and China will carry the price risk as long as transit corridors through the Red Sea remain vulnerable.

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