Some oil loading operations suspended after fire in UAE’s Fujairah, sources say

2026-03-14 - 14:44

DUBAI: Some oil-loading operations have been suspended in the United Arab Emirates’ Fujairah emirate, a major bunkering hub and crude export terminal, after a drone attack and fire on Saturday, industry and trade sources said. The ​suspension comes hours after the U.S. attacked military targets on Iran’s Kharg Island oil export terminal ​and Iran’s Revolutionary Guards responded by saying that U.S. interests in the UAE – including ⁠ports, docks and military locations – were legitimate targets. Fujairah, outside the Strait of Hormuz, is the outlet ​for about 1 million barrels per day of the UAE’s Murban crude oil – a volume equal to ​about 1% of world demand. A witness in Fujairah saw two separate columns of smoke rising from the terminal. Reuters could not immediately establish the impact on loadings. “The IRGC is sending a message that there is no safe harbor in this ​rapidly expanding conflict,” said Helima Croft, analyst at RBC Capital. “The fact this comes hours after the U.S. ​strike on Kharg Island also signals that Tehran will not let Washington control the terms of escalation and impose ‌dominance.” Earlier ⁠this week, the International Energy Agency said the world is facing its biggest ever oil supply crisis due to the effective closing of the Strait of Hormuz, a channel along the Iranian coast, since the U.S. and Israel began airstrikes on Iran on February 28, with the UAE among producers forced to cut ​oil output. REGIONAL ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE ​UNDER PRESSURE The fire in ⁠Fujairah occurred after debris fell during the interception of a drone, but no injuries were reported, the emirate’s media office said. Civil defence forces are handling ​the incident to contain the fire, it added. Authorities did not provide any ​information about ⁠the suspension of operations. Abu Dhabi state oil giant ADNOC, which operates in the emirate, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. On Tuesday, ADNOC shut its Ruwais refinery in response to a fire at a ⁠facility ​within the complex following a drone strike, a source with ​knowledge of the situation said, in further disruption of energy infrastructure due to the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.