Israel-Iran war: Saudi Arabia's Red Sea port Yanbu targeted in aerial attack

Saudi Arabia's Red Sea port of Yanbu, currently ‌the ⁠only ⁠export outlet for its crude, was targeted in an aerial attack on Wednesday an industry source told Reuters, adding that the strike has had minimal impact.

However, it was not immediately clear what part of the Red Sea Port facility was targeted in Yanbu.

Also read: Strait of Hormuz blockage drives food costs higher across Gulf


Oil giant Saudi Aramco's SAMREF refinery in the area was targeted, an industry ‌source told Reuters, ⁠adding ⁠there was minimal impact.

Amid attacks on energy infrastructure, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had issued an evacuation warning to several oil facilities across Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar, including SAMREF, which is a joint venture between Saudi Aramco and Exxon ⁠Mobil.

The warning ‌followed a strike on Iran's South Pars gas field, marking a major escalation in the war with the United ⁠States and Israel.

Saudi invited oil cos to Red Sea Port

This comes two days after the country Saudi Arabia gave option to long-term oil customers wherein they can receive their allocations for April via the Red Sea port of Yanbu. This step was undertaken as the Gulf nation prepared for lengthy disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.

Oil traders told Bloomberg that buyers who choose Yanbu will only get a portion of their monthly supply due to constraints on how much crude the pipeline to the port can carry. The port has given a second option to receive oil from the Persian Gulf, but at the risk of not getting any if the strait remains closed, said the traders, who asked not to be named as they’re not allowed to speak to media.

Also read: Saudi Arabia gives oil buyers Red Sea option due to crisis in Strait of Hormuz

The Saudi-based companies have a 5 million barrel-a-day pipeline that runs across the country to the Red Sea, although export capacity at Yanbu may be smaller than that.

As per Bloomberg report, Aramco has been ramping up shipments via Yanbu since the beginning of the war, now into its third week.

Oil loading operations resume

Soon after a brief hault, Saudi oil loadings sent to the Red Sea port of Yanbu was resumed, two sources told ‌Reuters .

Loadings ⁠were halted after staff had been ​evacuated, one of the sources said, after a drone ​crashed at Saudi Aramco's SAMREF refinery at the port earlier on Thursday.

An ​industry source told the new agency that there ⁠was minimal ‌impact on the refinery, but ​the ​damage was still being ⁠assessed.

Aramco, the world's largest oil exporter, is ​trying to boost crude exports via ​Yanbu to offset the Strait of Hormuz disruption, with loadings seen rising to record volumes in critical month March. Most of these oil cargoes are destined ‌for Asian countries.

Iran had previously warned that the SAMREF refinery would ​be attacked ​in retaliation ⁠to Israel's attack on its South Pars gas field, a major escalation in the war ​with the U.S. and Israel.