Saudi Aramco closes Ras Tanura refinery after drone strike, source says
An Aramco tank is seen at Saudi Aramco's Ras Tanura oil refinery and oil terminal in Saudi Arabia May 21, 2018. Picture taken May 21, 2018. SOURCE: REUTERS
Saudi Arabia's state oil giant Aramco shut its Ras Tanura refinery following a drone strike, an industry source said on Monday, after Tehran launched strikes across the region in response to the US-Israeli attack on Iran.
Workers evacuate the area around Saudi Aramco’s Ras Tanura oil refinery as smoke rises following a reported Iranian drone strike in Saudi Arabia.
📷: Reuters pic.twitter.com/CZXXPLonFsThe Ras Tanura complex, on the kingdom's Gulf coast, houses one of the Middle East's largest refineries with a capacity of 550,000 barrels per day and serves as a critical export terminal for Saudi crude.
It was shut as a precautionary measure and the situation is under control, the source said.
Aramco did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
The drone strike added to a wave of attacks on the Gulf, including on Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Doha, Manama and Oman's commercial part of Duqm. The strikes have paralysed major shipping hubs in the United Arab Emirates and Oman and sent Brent crude futures LCOc1 surging roughly 10% on Monday.