Fire contained at Saudi Arabia’s Jazan refinery
The Saudi Ministry of Energy confirmed that a fire at the 400,000-barrel-per-day Jazan refinery was brought under control on Sunday morning. No injuries have been reported. Aramco’s industrial firefighting teams extinguished the blaze in the early hours. The Ministry has not provided an explanation regarding the cause of the incident. Located on the Red Sea coast near the Yemeni border, the Jazan refinery has been a target of threats from Yemen's Houthi rebels in recent weeks. According to an IIR consultancy note seen by Reuters, Aramco shut down the refinery on 27 July following a Houthi attack that damaged the integrated gasification combined-cycle plant and fuel storage tanks. At the time, the Houthis claimed responsibility for targeting Aramco facilities in Jazan and Yanbu. Amin Nasser, Aramco’s CEO, stated last week that the company’s production, exports, and domestic fuel supply remain uninterrupted despite reports of attacks on facilities, including Jazan. When asked about the Houthi claims, Nasser declined to comment on what he described as military and security events. He added that Aramco possesses the capability to repair damaged facilities six times faster than the industry average and could restore production within days if conditions permit. Recent attacks have heightened concerns regarding potential disruptions to Red Sea shipping and Saudi oil infrastructure, adding to existing regional tensions. Last month, the Houthis announced a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea, claiming it was a response to the Saudi-led blockade of Yemen—an allegation Riyadh denies.