SAUDI OIL FACILITIES TARGETED
Houthi drones hit two plants, including world’s biggest oil processing facility
■ Smoke is seen billowing after a fire at an Aramco facility in Saudi Arabia’s Abqaiq. Yemen’s Iranaligned Houthi group on Saturday attacked two plants at the heart of the kingdom’s oil industry, with sources saying the strike had disrupted output and exports.
RIYADH: Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels on Saturday attacked two plants at the heart of Saudi Arabia’s oil industry, including the world’s biggest petroleum processing facility, in a strike that three sources said had disrupted output and exports.
Two sources close to the matter said 5 million barrels per day of crude production had been impacted- close to half of the kingdom’s output or 5% of global oil supply. The pre-dawn drone attack on the Saudi Aramco facilities set off several fires, although the kingdom, the world’s largest oil exporter, later said these were brought under control. State television said exports were continuing, but Aramco has yet to comment since the assault, which the Houthis said involved 10 drones. Authorities have not said whether oil production or exports were affected.
The attacks occurred as Aramco accelerates plans for an initial public offering of the state oil giant to as early as this year, and follow earlier cross-border attacks on Saudi oil installations and on oil tankers in Gulf waters. Saturday’s attacks appeared to be the most brazen yet. Saudi Arabia, leading a Sunni Muslim military coalition that intervened in Yemen in 2015 against the Houthis, has blamed regional Shia rival Iran for previous attacks, which Tehran denies. Riyadh accuses Iran of arming the Houthis, a charge denied by the group and Tehran.
State-run Ekhbariya TV, citing its correspondent, said there were no casualties, but there was no official statement. A Reuters witness nearby said at least 15 ambulances were seen in the area and there was a heavy security presence around Abqaiq. Abqaiq, 60 km southwest of Aramco’s Dhahran headquarters, handles crude from the world’s largest conventional oilfield.