Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman confirmed the expansion at the WPC Energy Congress in Riyadh, positioning the 740-mile infrastructure as the cornerstone of the Kingdom's energy security. The pipeline currently carries 5.8 million barrels per day, with a technical maximum of 7 million. Increasing this throughput is vital for rerouting crude toward the Red Sea port of Yanbu, effectively bypassing the volatile Strait.

This strategic shift faces its own geopolitical hazards. Yemen-based Houthi rebels have explicitly threatened to disrupt shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a primary passage for oil tankers heading toward Asian markets from Yanbu. Addressing these threats, Saudi Aramco CEO Amin Nasser noted that the company is actively evaluating additional export routes and expanding overseas storage capacity. The firm is prioritizing risk mitigation and rapid restoration protocols to ensure that exports continue flowing even when regional tensions peak.