By Uzair Saleem — SCN News
ISLAMABAD, Sept 16 (SCN News) — Pakistan has warned that any attack on a Pakistani vessel stranded near Saudi Arabia’s disrupted East-West oil pipeline would be considered an “act of war”, as Islamabad weighs moving the ship and races to secure alternative crude supplies amid growing pressure on regional energy routes.
Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik said a Pakistani vessel was being kept on standby because Saudi supplies through the Red Sea route had been disrupted, but Pakistan could not leave one of its limited number of ships waiting indefinitely. “I will have to move it one way or the other,” Malik said in an interview with local media, adding that Saudi authorities had asked for the vessel to remain on standby for now.
Malik said Islamabad had made its position clear that if a Pakistani vessel were struck, it would regard the incident as an attack on the state. The warning is consistent with an earlier Foreign Ministry position that hostile action against Pakistani-flagged commercial vessels or Pakistan’s maritime interests would constitute a grave national-security threat and could trigger measures in self-defence consistent with international law.
The immediate problem stems from disruption to Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline, the strategic system that moves crude from the kingdom’s eastern oil-producing areas to the Red Sea coast and allows exports to bypass the Strait of Hormuz. Drone attacks damaged the pipeline last week, and Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry condemned the strikes on September 12 as attacks on civilian infrastructure and a threat to regional peace and security.
Saudi crude loadings at Yanbu on the Red Sea have since been halted, while Saudi Aramco has begun offering Asian customers additional crude through ship-to-ship transfers off Sohar in Oman. Reuters reported on Wednesday that some September cargoes from Yanbu had been delayed or cancelled as Saudi Arabia sought alternative ways to maintain exports.
For Pakistan, the disruption has become a direct energy-security problem because the country depends heavily on imported petroleum and normally obtains much of its supply from the Gulf. Malik said Islamabad had secured requirements for September and had arrangements capable of covering October even under an adverse scenario, but November supplies still needed to be planned.
That distinction is important because reports describing Pakistan as having diesel only “for the current and next month” could suggest that the country is already about to exhaust physical stocks. Malik’s fuller comments indicate something more specific: September requirements are covered, October has been de-risked, and the government is now trying to secure the supply chain for November.
The minister nevertheless warned that a breakdown in crude deliveries could create a severe diesel shortage because domestic refineries are being operated at high throughput to meet demand. Pakistan does not maintain an enormous government-controlled petroleum stockpile; commercial inventories held by oil marketing companies and continued refinery operations are therefore crucial to keeping fuel available.
Islamabad is now considering a much broader range of suppliers and routes. Malik said Pakistan was looking at crude from Oman and Fujairah while also exploring supplies from Libya, the United States, West Africa, Nigeria and Kazakhstan as authorities attempt to reduce exposure to disruption around the Gulf and Red Sea.
One of the more unusual contingency plans involves bringing in a very large crude carrier, or VLCC, from the United States. Malik said such a vessel could carry roughly four times the crude transported by conventional carriers used by Pakistan, but the country's ports lack the draft and infrastructure needed to berth such a large ship directly.
The government is therefore examining whether a VLCC could be positioned near Sohar in Oman or offshore near Hub, with crude transferred to smaller vessels capable of delivering it to Pakistani facilities. Such ship-to-ship operations would be more complicated than conventional deliveries but could provide Islamabad with an additional buffer if established Gulf supply chains remain disrupted.
The stranded tanker underscores the vulnerability of those supply chains. The vessel had been positioned near the Red Sea end of Saudi Arabia’s oil network, but disruption of the East-West pipeline prevented the planned loading. With the ship now waiting without cargo, Pakistan faces a choice between continuing to hold scarce shipping capacity in place or redeploying it to obtain crude elsewhere.
Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, is trying to redirect exports around the disruption. Reuters reported that Aramco has offered Arab Light, Arab Medium and Arab Heavy crude to Asian term customers for loading through ship-to-ship transfers off Oman, while crude loading at Ras Tanura and Juaymah inside the Gulf has increased sharply.
Those alternatives, however, do not eliminate the broader strategic problem for Pakistan. Regional shipping is being squeezed simultaneously by insecurity affecting the Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab, making the availability of vessels, insurance, alternative ports and secure transit routes increasingly important alongside the availability of crude itself.
Pakistan has already demonstrated how sensitive its fuel position can become during regional disruption. Earlier in the year, a government monitoring committee reported diesel stocks covering roughly 23 to 24 days, while officials relied on imports and refinery operations to maintain supplies. The government has also been working on plans for larger strategic petroleum reserves to provide a stronger buffer against future shocks.
The current crisis therefore extends beyond the fate of one tanker. Islamabad is simultaneously trying to protect Pakistani-flagged shipping, preserve access to Saudi crude, identify alternative suppliers and ensure that domestic refineries receive enough feedstock to maintain diesel production.
For consumers and businesses inside Pakistan, the key period may come after October. Malik’s comments indicate that immediate requirements are covered, but the government must establish replacement cargoes and routes for November if regional disruption continues. That makes the duration of the Saudi pipeline shutdown and the security of maritime routes increasingly important to Pakistan’s domestic energy outlook.