Saudi Aramco will resume full crude oil deliveries to European refiners in November, signaling that the supply disruption caused by an earlier pipeline attack has largely come to an end and offering relief to a tense market.

On October 9, people familiar with the matter said that at least three European refiners have been notified they will receive their full allocated volumes of crude from Saudi Aramco in November.

Previously, after a drone strike hit Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline, Saudi Aramco informed European customers that no crude allocations would be available for October, forcing buyers to scramble for alternative supplies.

The restoration of supply will directly ease pressure on Europe's crude market. Poland's largest buyer of Saudi crude, Orlen SA, issued more than ten tenders during the outage to secure replacement barrels. According to ship-tracking data, Saudi crude exports to Europe typically average 700,000 to 800,000 barrels per day.

Pipeline attack disrupts supply, forcing European refiners to seek alternatives

Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline was struck last month by drones launched from the direction of Iraq, forcing the pipeline to halt operations.

Saudi Aramco had restored the East-West pipeline's capacity to more than 80% by the end of last weekend. On Monday, reports said a pumping station along the pipeline was hit by a fresh attack and shut down again, briefly sending oil prices up more than 1.2%, but subsequent reports citing informed sources confirmed the pipeline was operating normally, and the price gains narrowed accordingly.

The pipeline is a critical cross-country oil artery for Saudi Arabia, with a daily throughput capacity of 7 million barrels. During the Iran war, it played a vital role in bypassing the risky route through the Strait of Hormuz and ensuring continued crude exports.

As of last week, after deducting internal supplies for West Coast refineries, Saudi Aramco's crude available for export was running at about 4.5 million barrels per day.

Although the East-West pipeline has returned to normal operations, overall supply risks in the region have not been fully eliminated. In recent months, Yemen's Houthi forces have continued to attack tankers sailing in the Red Sea and infrastructure along Saudi Arabia's West Coast, placing persistent pressure on this key export route.