Saudi Arabia’s Aramco Closes Ras Tanura Refinery Following Drone Attack

Saudi Arabia’s state oil company Aramco closed its Ras Tanura refinery after it was struck by a drone, Reuters reports.

The Ras Tanura complex, located on the kingdom’s Gulf coast, is one of the Middle East’s largest refineries, with a capacity of 550,000 barrels per day. It also functions as a key export terminal for Saudi crude. The closure was a precautionary measure, and authorities said the situation remains under control. Two drones were intercepted at the site, and falling debris caused a minor fire, according to a Saudi defence ministry spokesperson on Al Arabiya TV. No injuries were reported.

The shutdown is likely to intensify concerns over oil supplies as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, responsible for around 20% of global oil flows, has slowed dramatically following attacks on vessels in the area over the weekend. Brent crude futures jumped roughly 10%.

The drone strike comes amid a wave of assaults across the region, including attacks in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Doha, Manama, and the commercial port of Duqm in Oman. Production in Iraq’s Kurdistan region, which exported about 200,000 barrels per day to Turkey in February, was also temporarily halted over the weekend as a precaution, field operators said.

Saudi Arabia’s energy facilities have faced attacks before, most notably in September 2019 when drones and missiles struck the Abqaiq and Khurais plants, temporarily halting more than half of the kingdom’s crude production and sending global oil markets into turmoil.

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