UAE’s key oil hub suspends loadings after drone attack, fire

ABU DHABI – A key Middle East trading hub in the United Arab Emirates suspended all oil loading after a drone attack and fire on the morning of March 14, people familiar with the matter said. 

Loading of crude and refined products at Fujairah, just outside the Strait of Hormuz, was halted as a precaution while damage is being assessed, according to the people, who asked not to be identified as they are not authorised to speak to the media.  

A drone was intercepted in the area and damage from the falling debris caused the fire, Fujairah’s media office said in a statement. There were no reported injuries and the statement did not provide specifics on the location. 

Abu Dhabi National Oil Co, which exports crude from Fujairah, and the port authorities did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The attacks come after US forces hit military sites on Iran’s Kharg Island, vital to the country’s oil exports. Tehran said in response that any strike on oil and energy infrastructure would trigger attacks on US-linked energy facilities in the region.

Fujairah is an important trading hub for crude and refined products. Nestled along the UAE’s eastern coast between the Gulf of Oman and the Hajar Mountains, it provides shippers with access to the open sea and avoids the chokepoint at the Strait of Hormuz. 

The widening conflict in the Persian Gulf has upended the energy trade in the region, hitting oil and gas infrastructure and all but cutting off traffic through Hormuz. Fujairah, one of the few terminals in the region that’s still exporting, has previously reported missile threats. BLOOMBERG