Saudi Arabia will run out of oil stocks for exports if it doesn’t restart its major pipeline to the Red Sea within days, leading to a loss of up to 4pc of global supply, Saudi oil buyers and traders have said, Reuters reports.

A further decline in Saudi flows will worsen the global supply crunch, which has already pushed global fuel prices to record highs, spurred inflation around the world and sent US bond yields to the highest levels since the 2008 financial crisis.

Since drone attacks forced Saudi Arabia to shut its huge east-west oil pipeline this week, Riyadh has not given full details about the extent of the damage or how long the route will stay offline.

Sources that spoke to Reuters gave varying estimates, with one saying the damage could take as long as five to six weeks to repair, while another said it could be fixed sooner and could resume pumping partially while repairs are ongoing.

Saudi Arabia’s government media office and energy ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.