Saudi Arabia is seeking to boost oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz after attacks forced the closure of the East-West pipeline, the kingdom's primary route for circumventing Iran war disruptions, according to a person familiar with the matter. The pipeline, which spans 1,200-kilometer across the Arabian peninsula, was halted last week after at least two points along the route were targeted. The shutdown puts millions of barrels a day at risk as crude trades near $110 in London. The Associated Press reported the conduit will be out of service for several weeks, though US Energy Secretary Chris Wright expects it running "very soon."

Saudi Aramco had been raising total exports toward 4 million barrels a day in early September, with roughly 1 million daily via Hormuz and the rest through the Red Sea port of Yanbu. Total shipments fell to about 3 million a day in August, the lowest in at least nine years per Bloomberg, Vortexa and Kpler data. The decline followed threats from Yemen-based Houthi militants, who have attacked vessels and energy sites since July.

Any Hormuz ramp-up faces a severe tanker shortage pushing freight costs to records. Hauling oil from the Persian Gulf to China neared $1 million a day on Friday. Satellite images show increased tanker loading at Saudi Gulf terminals, but it remains unclear how quickly Aramco can offset the pipeline loss.