Saudi Aramco says fuel supplies not affected by oil facility attack in Jeddah
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A staff member stands next to the damaged tank at the Saudi Aramco distribution station [Marwa Rashad/Reuters]
Oil giant Saudi Aramco said that the customers were unaffected by an attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels on a petroleum products distribution terminal in Saudi Arabia's Red Sea city of Jeddah.
On Tuesday, during a media visit to its oil facility in northern Jeddah, Aramco told reporters that the tank fire caused by the attack was put out in about 40 minutes and the operation resumed in about three hours.
Abdullah al-Ghamdi, manager of the North Jeddah Bulk Plant said that the attack only demonstrated the resilience and reliability of the company to ensure the energy's continuous supply to its domestic and international customers.
According to al-Ghamdi, a projectile hit one of the 13 tanks in the facility, causing major damage to the tank roof with a hole of almost two by two meters.
The damaged tank remains out of action, he noted.
Serving diesel, gasoline and jet fuel, the North Jeddah Bulk Plant is a "critical facility" in the area that distributes around 120,000 barrels of products per day, al-Ghamdi said.
The Saudi Ministry of Energy said on Monday that a terrorist attack created an explosion and caused a fuel tank fire in the oil facility in Jeddah.
Meanwhile,On Tuesday a military spokesman for the Houthis warned that "operations will continue",reports Al Jazeera
According to the report Yahya Sarea said that the attack was carried out with a Quds-2 type winged missile.
"The strike was very accurate, and ambulances and fire engines rushed to the target," said Sarea
He also posted a satellite image with the label: "North Jeddah bulk plant-Saudi Aramco",says the report.
Sarea also clarified that the attack was carried out in response to the Saudi-led coalition's actions in Yemen.
According to Saudi state TV, In retaliation,the Saudi-led coalition that is fighting the Houthis destroyed five mines in the Red Sea on Tuesday.
According to the report of the Channel, the mines are of the Iranian-made 'Sadaf' type, adding that the coalition had destroyed a total of about 163 sea mines left by the Houthis.
Yemen has been mired in conflict since the Saudi-led coalition intervened in March 2015 to restore the Yemeni government, which had been removed from power in the capital Sanaa by Houthi forces in late 2014.
Cross-border attacks by Houthi forces have escalated since late May when a truce prompted by the novel coronavirus pandemic expired. The Saudi-led coalition has responded with air raids on Houthi-held territory.
The Houthis control most of north Yemen and most large urban areas. They say they are fighting a corrupt system.
(With inputs from agencies)
