Aramco, Saudi Arabia’s state-owned petroleum and natural gas company, had to shut down its refinery in Ras Tanura after a drone strike in the area, the defence ministry said.
Defence Ministry Spokesperson Turki al-Maliki told Al Arabiya that the country intercepted two drones over the areas.
Falling debris from the interception had caused a limited fire. Al-Maliki also said there were no civilians injured. Armco’s media office has not commented on the incident.
Ras Tanura is one of the largest oil refining and export facilities in the world. The plant produced about 550,000 barrels per day, sources told Bloomberg. It supplies transport fuels for Europe and also produces small quantities of gasoline.
The news of the closure caused ICE gasoil futures to jump more than 20 per cent. Brent crude, the global benchmark for oil prices surged roughly 10 per cent on Monday following the drone strike with prices touching more than $82 per barrel.
Anxiety over global oil supplies has risen after traffic through the Strait of Hormuz plummeted following Iran’s missile and drone strikes in the region. Vessels travelling through the strait were sent transmissions warning them to avoid the passageway.
Saudi Arabia’s energy facilities have been targetted previously notably in September 2019. About half the country’s crude oil production was cut out after drone and missile attacks on the Abqaiq and Khurais plants.
Iran’s strikes have hit several countries in the region hosting US bases, including Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The strikes come in response to the killing of several top Iranian leaders, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.