Saudi Aramco has issued an official statement saying that it responded to a fire at East West Pipeline Pump station eight on 14 May which was caused by a sabotage incident using armed drones
The attack targeted pump stations eight and nine on the pipeline, which transports Saudi oil from the Eastern Province to Yanbu port. As a precautionary measure, the company has temporarily shut down the pipeline and contained the fire which caused minor damage to pump station eight. The company is working on restoring the pump station prior to resuming operations.
Saudi Aramco has confirmed that no injuries or fatalities have been reported and that its oil and gas supplies have not been impacted as a result of the incident.
In an official statement Khalid A. Al-Falih, minister of energy, industry, and mineral resources, confirmed that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia condemned this “cowardly” attack, emphasising that “this act of terrorism and sabotage in addition to recent acts in the Gulf not only target the kingdom but also the security of world oil supplies and the global economy.”
The attack follows the incident on the previous day when two Saudi oil tankers were attacked off the coast of Fujairah, UAE.
Tensions have risen in the region in recent weeks with the USA increasing its military presence in the Middle East due to deteriorating relations with Iran. A television station run by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi group said on 14 May said it had launched drone attacks on Saudi installations, without identifying the targets or time of the attacks.
