UAE's ADNOC shuts Ruwais oil refinery after Iran drone strike

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UAE’s ADNOC shuts Ruwais oil refinery after Iran drone strike

March 10, 2026

ABU DHABI,—Abu Dhabi’s state oil company ADNOC closed its Ruwais refinery on Tuesday after a fire broke out at a facility within the complex following a drone strike, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The shutdown represents the latest disruption to energy infrastructure amid the escalating U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran.

The Ruwais complex, operated by the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, has a refining capacity of up to 922,000 barrels of crude per day.

It is a key hub for the emirate’s downstream operations, hosting chemical, fertilizer, and industrial gas plants.

Abu Dhabi’s government media office said authorities were responding to the fire at a facility after a drone attack and confirmed no injuries. The office did not specify which facility was affected.

The attack follows Tehran’s strikes on several neighboring countries in response to U.S.-Israeli military actions against Iran.

These regional tensions have forced some countries to reduce oil output, while shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical transit point carrying about one-fifth of global oil flows, has slowed dramatically.

The Ruwais refinery was shut as a precaution, the source told Reuters, while other operations at the site continue normally.

Industry tracker IIR Energy reported that ADNOC had to halt the only crude distillation unit at Ruwais Refinery 2 (West), which processes 417,000 barrels per day, and plans a broader safety shutdown across the plant.

IIR Energy also noted that ADNOC had already reduced output by 10% to 20% at several units of Ruwais Refinery 1 (East), which handles 400,000 barrels per day, on March 6 due to ongoing regional tensions.

In neighboring Saudi Arabia, a small fire caused by a drone attack last week at the Ras Tanura refinery, the kingdom’s largest, was quickly extinguished.

Saudi Aramco CEO Amin Nasser said Tuesday that the facility is being restarted and warned of “catastrophic consequences” if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed.

Bahrain’s Bapco Energies declared force majeure on Monday after an attack on its refinery complex.

Kuwait Petroleum Corporation also cut oil output starting Saturday and issued a force majeure declaration. Qatar has halted liquefied natural gas production, accounting for roughly 20% of global exports.

Regional tensions escalated after the United States and Israel carried out joint airstrikes against Iran on February 28, 2026. The attacks killed Iran’s supreme leader along with more than 40 senior military officials in Tehran and other cities.

In retaliation, Iran launched multiple waves of missile and drone strikes across the Gulf region. The attacks targeted key infrastructure, including airports, seaports, hotels, and residential areas in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, a report said.

On March 2, 2026, Amazon reported that several of its data centers in the UAE were damaged during the Iranian drone strikes, leading to disruptions in its cloud computing services.

(With files from Reuters)