Drone attacks target Saudi tank farm, Aramco facilities
RIYADH, March 8, 2021
One of the petroleum tank farms at the Ras Tanura Port in the Eastern Region of Saudi Arabia, one of the largest oil shipping ports in the world, was attacked yesterday by a drone, coming from the sea, an official spokesman at the Ministry of Energy said.
The spokesman added that another deliberate attempt was also made in the evening to attack Saudi Aramco’s facilities, said a Saudi Press Agency report.
Shrapnel from a ballistic missile fell near Saudi Aramco’s residential area in the city of Dhahran, where thousands of the company’s employees and their families from different nationalities live.
The spokesman said that both attacks did not result in any injury or loss of life or property.
The latest in a spate of assaults on Saudi oil installations pushed oil prices beyond $70 per barrel for the first time since January 2020.
In his statement, the spokesman stressed that the Kingdom condemns and criminalises such repeated acts of sabotage and hostility. The kingdom calls on nations and organisations of the world to stand together against these attacks, which are aimed at civilian objects and vital installations.
Such acts of sabotage do not only target the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, but also the security and stability of energy supplies to the world, and therefore, the global economy. They affect the security of petroleum exports, freedom of world trade, and maritime traffic, it said.
They also expose coasts and territorial waters to grave environmental catastrophes due to potential leakage of petroleum or petroleum products, it added.
Defense Ministry spokeman Brigadier General Turki Al-Malki said: “In reference to the statement issued by the Ministry of Energy in regards to the failed attempt targeting of one of the petroleum tank farms in Ras Tanura Port in the Eastern Province using a bomb-laden UAV that came from the sea, and the attempt to target Aramco facilities in Dhahran, those failed attempts did not target Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s security and economic assets alone, but also the core of global economy and its oil supplies, as well as the security of global energy.
"The attacking bomb-laden UAV that came via the sea and was intercepted and destroyed prior to reaching its target. The ballistic missile that was launched to target Aramco facilities in Dhahran was intercepted and destroyed as well. The interception resulted in scattered debris that fell in close proximity to civilians and civilian objects," he said.
"The Ministry of Defense will undertake all necessary, deterrent measures to safeguard its national assets in a manner that preserves the security of global energy, puts an end to these acts of terrorism, guarantees the security and stability of oil supplies, protects security of petroleum exports and safeguards freedom of shipping and international trade,” he added.
