Saudi Arabia restarts East-West oil pipeline, sources say

SINGAPORE/NEW DELHI — Saudi Arabia has restarted operations at its East-West Pipeline and could resume exports from the Red Sea port of Yanbu later on Tuesday, three sources briefed on the matter said, as signs mounted of an increase in Middle Eastern oil flows. The resumption of supplies on Tuesday helped to drive selling on global oil markets. Global oil benchmark Brent crude fell by more than $2 a barrel towards $97, its lowest since September 8. Drone attacks, which Saudi Arabia has blamed on Iraqi militia, forced the kingdom to shut the pipeline on September 11, halting crude loadings at the kingdom's Yanbu port. Since the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran disrupted oil flows from Saudi Arabia and its Gulf neighbours through the Strait of Hormuz, Riyadh has been using the pipeline to reroute around 4 million barrels per day — around 4 percent of global supply — to Yanbu. State oil firm Saudi Aramco did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Full resumption could take weeks, sources say The pipeline was pumping at a low rate after its restart, two of the sources said. Aramco was