Pakistan, Sept. 13 -- A Saudi pipeline outage could remove up to 4% of global oil supply if the key route to the Red Sea remains closed for several days. Drone attacks forced Saudi Arabia to shut its major east-west pipeline on Friday, while Riyadh has yet to provide details about the damage. Oil buyers and traders warn that Saudi export stocks could run short if pumping does not resume soon.

The pipeline has allowed Saudi Arabia to bypass the Strait of Hormuz and continue shipping large volumes through Yanbu. The world's biggest oil exporter has been rerouting around 4 million barrels per day through the pipeline, equal to about 4% of global supply. Its closure could therefore deepen an already severe global supply shortage and put furt...