Fire Breaks Out at Aramco Refinery in Saudi Arabia

A fire broke out early Sunday at Saudi Aramco's refinery in Jazan, Saudi Arabia. Firefighters brought the blaze under control, and no one was injured, the ministry of energy said. The cause of the fire is not yet known.

The Jazan refinery, on the Red Sea coast near the border with Yemen, processes approximately 400,000 barrels of crude oil per day and produces gasoline and low-sulfur diesel fuel.

It is the second such incident at the site in recent weeks. In late July, Aramco suspended operations at the refinery after an attack by Houthi rebels damaged a gas processing complex and storage tanks. The rebels said at the time that they had struck Aramco facilities in Jazan and Yanbu.

Amin Nasser, Aramco's chief executive, said last week that although the attacks had temporarily disrupted production, operations were expected to resume quickly and that the incidents had no significant financial or operational impact.

Last month, the Houthis declared a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea, citing Riyadh's alleged siege of Yemen as justification. Saudi Arabia denies the allegations.

(Reuters, est)