Shafaq News- Riyadh (Updated at 20:53)

Saudi Aramco is seeking to restore about half the capacity of its East-West oil pipeline “within days” and return the route to full capacity in roughly six weeks following last week’s shutdown, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday, citing a source familiar with the matter.

The state-owned oil company is “working to bypass a damaged section on the route that will allow it to resume part of the pipeline’s capacity,” the source said.

Reuters, citing assessments from security and oil industry sources, noted that two pumping stations serving the pipeline were damaged in the attack, with the duration of repairs still unclear.

In an interview with Fox Business, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the damage was being assessed and that the pipeline would resume operations “soon.”

The 1,200-kilometer pipeline, which carries crude from Saudi Arabia’s eastern production areas to the Red Sea port of Yanbu, provides the Kingdom with an export route that bypasses the Strait of Hormuz. Aramco puts its crude capacity at about seven million barrels per day, including around two million bpd supplied to refineries.

Saudi Arabia shut the pipeline on Friday after drone attacks that it said originated from inside Iraq caused “injuries and some damage.” The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella of Iran-aligned Iraqi armed factions, denied involvement, and no group has claimed responsibility.

Read more: Saudi pipeline attack deepens pressure on Al-Zaidi

Wright also said increased oil flows through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a major international shipping route that connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden, could help offset disruptions to shipments through Hormuz, adding that the Trump administration was considering invoking the Defense Production Act to increase US refining capacity.