ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is weighing how to move an empty Pakistan oil tanker stranded near Saudi Arabia’s shut East-West Pipeline, with Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik warning against any attack on the vessel.
Malik said Saudi authorities had asked the vessel to remain on standby for now, but Islamabad could not keep one of its limited number of tankers waiting indefinitely. “I will have to move it one way or the other,” he said in a local television interview.
The minister said Pakistan had informed regional parties that an attack on a vessel flying its flag would be regarded by Islamabad as an “act of war against the state.”
The tanker had been positioned to lift crude through Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea export system, which has been disrupted since the 1,200-kilometre East-West Pipeline was shut following a September 10 drone attack. Associated Press reporting says repairs could take around three to five weeks, while Bloomberg cited the possibility of a shutdown lasting up to six weeks.
Malik said Pakistan had secured its petroleum requirements for September and had largely covered October even under adverse conditions, but authorities were now arranging supplies for November. He warned that a prolonged break in crude deliveries could eventually create a serious diesel shortage because domestic refineries depend on imported crude to maintain output.
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Pakistan is considering alternative crude supplies from Oman and Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates, as well as Libya, the United States, West Africa and Kazakhstan, according to Malik.
Saudi Arabia’s East-West Pipeline had become increasingly important to Pakistan after disruption in the Strait of Hormuz. Islamabad asked Riyadh in March to facilitate crude shipments through Yanbu, and Saudi officials assured support for alternative supplies.
