Saudi Aramco is loading crude oil again at Ras Tanura, one of the planet’s biggest export terminals, after a nearly four-month shutdown that forced the company to reroute the majority of its shipments through an alternative pipeline across the Arabian Peninsula.
Operations restarted around June 25, ending a disruption that began on March 2 when debris from intercepted projectiles sparked a fire at the adjacent Ras Tanura refinery. The facility processes roughly 550,000 barrels per day, and its prolonged idling had become one of the more significant supply-side stories in energy markets this year.
What happened, and how Aramco adapted
The March 2 incident was, by oil infrastructure standards, relatively contained. Drone-related debris ignited a fire at the refinery, which was brought under control and restarted by mid-March. The terminal itself, however, remained offline far longer.
Aramco’s workaround was to redirect crude through the East-West pipeline to Yanbu, its Red Sea port, maintaining an estimated 60-70% of normal export volumes during the disruption.
