Saudi oil cuts hit European refiners

On 18 September 2026, Saudi Aramco informed at least some European refiners that they would receive no crude oil allocations for October. Reports indicated that the notices applied across the company’s European customer base, affecting term buyers that regularly rely on Saudi supplies.

The decision interrupts a significant source of oil for the region. IEA figures cited in the reports show that OECD Europe imported about 577,000 barrels per day of Saudi crude in June, providing a reference point for the typical scale of flows now at risk.

The disruption is linked to drone strikes in early-to-mid September that damaged multiple pumping stations on Saudi Arabia’s East‑West (Petroline) pipeline. The pipeline transports crude from eastern fields toward the Red Sea and is a key route for Saudi exports bypassing maritime chokepoints.

Following the attacks, the Petroline was shut, halting westbound flows. Officials and market reports on 18 September indicated that partial flows could resume within days, but full restoration of capacity may take up to about six weeks, leaving a window of constrained supply.

European refiners have moved quickly to secure alternative crude in response to the loss of Saudi barrels. Traders and refiners have been rerouting and selling cargoes out of Ras Tanura for September and October loadings, with much of that supply reported to be moving toward Asian buyers.

Poland’s Orlen highlighted the scale of adjustment underway. The company said it had contracted 16 additional crude cargoes from suppliers including Norway, the UK, Algeria, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and the Americas, aiming to cover the Saudi-related disruptions through November.

These replacement purchases illustrate how refiners are diversifying feedstock sources across multiple regions to offset the sudden gap in Saudi term supplies to Europe.

The combination of pipeline damage and cancelled October allocations has tightened the near-term supply outlook for European refiners dependent on Saudi crude. While partial Petroline flows may return relatively quickly, the potential six‑week horizon for full capacity keeps uncertainty elevated.

With estimates of Saudi flows to Europe anchored by the June import level of about 577,000 barrels per day, the current disruption represents a significant test of European refiners’ ability to reconfigure sourcing and logistics in a short period.