Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi state oil giant ADNOC shut its Ruwais refinery after a drone strike sparked a fire at the complex on Tuesday. The incident comes amid a series of attacks on Gulf energy infrastructure as retaliatory strikes spread across the region.
Drone attack and precautionary shutdown
Abu Dhabi’s government media office confirmed authorities were responding to a fire at the facility following a drone attack, saying there were no injuries but not identifying the specific site. A source with knowledge of the situation told Reuters the refinery was shut as a precautionary measure, while all other operations at the complex continued normally.
ADNOC, the Abu Dhabi Media Office and the UAE foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Ruwais complex capacity and operations
The Ruwais complex hosts ADNOC facilities capable of refining up to 922,000 barrels of oil per day and serves as the central hub for the emirate’s downstream operations, including chemical, fertiliser and industrial gas plants.
Industry monitor IIR Energy said ADNOC was forced to shut the lone crude distillation unit at its 417,000 barrel-per-day Ruwais Refinery 2 (West) and was planning a plant-wide safety shutdown. IIR Energy added that ADNOC had previously reduced operations at multiple units at its 400,000-bpd Ruwais Refinery 1 (East) by around 10% to 20% on 6 March due to the regional conflict.
Regional impact on shipping and production
The attacks have forced several countries to cut production as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which carries roughly a fifth of global oil flows, has ground to a near halt.
In Saudi Arabia, Saudi Aramco chief executive Amin Nasser said on Tuesday that a fire from an attack last week on the Ras Tanura refinery was quickly extinguished and that the refinery was being restarted. Nasser warned of “catastrophic consequences” if the strait remains shut, speaking as Aramco reported its results.
Bahrain’s Bapco Energies on Monday declared force majeure on its group operations after an attack on its oil refinery complex. Kuwait Petroleum Corporation began cutting output on Saturday and also declared force majeure. Qatar has shut its production of liquefied natural gas, which accounts for roughly 20% of global exports.
How could continued disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz affect energy supplies in your country?