The Red Sea Is Becoming Saudi Arabia's Biggest Oil Bottleneck The Kingdom's strategic plan to counter disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz has long been based on an assumption that pump oil west through the East West Pipeline and use the Red Sea as an alternative outlet.
However, current events in Bab El Mandab have blown a gaping hole in this theory, exposing a critical weakness in Saudi Arabia's energy security.
The East West Pipeline was always seen as a reliable safety net, but it has its own limitations. Once crude reaches Yanbu on the Red Sea, it must still be transported out of the region.