Saudi Aramco’s 400,000 b/d Jazan refinery on the Red Sea coast was damaged and taken offline after a 25 July attack by Yemen’s Houthis. A missile strike set two of the refinery’s storage tanks ablaze. Despite the dramatic images of thick plumes of smoke climbing from the refinery, the fire appears to have been largely contained, with emergency protocols initiated and no indication of damage to processing units. Nevertheless, market sources say the facility has been taken offline as a precaution, with some reports indicating it could be offline until 15 August.
Jazan is Saudi Arabia’s newest refinery, having started operations in 2021 (MEES, 12 February 2021). The refinery is the centerpiece of the Jazan Economic City, an ambitious plan to generate economic growth in this southwestern corner of the kingdom, with the location chosen for political rather than commercial considerations (MEES, 25 July 2014). (CONTINUED - 925 WORDS)
