Drone attack on 2 factories of Saudi Aramco suspends oil production

Smoke fills the sky at the Aramco oil processing facility in Abqaiq in Saudi Arabia.

The recent drone attacks on two Saudi oil facilities have affected the production of 5.7 million barrels of crude oil per day, the state-owned oil giant announced on Saturday.

Yemen's Houthis has claimed responsibility for the drone attack on two Saudi Aramco factories that led to a huge fire at the world's largest oil processing facility, the rebel group said in a statement broadcast by Al Masirah TV.

The group threatened that the scope of Houthi attacks against the Kingdom would be broadened, reported Sputnik news agency. "Saudi Aramco emergency crews contained fires at its plants in Abqaiq and Khurais, as a result of terrorist attacks with projectiles. These attacks resulted in production suspension of 5.7 million barrels of crude oil per day," the company said in a statement on Sunday, in which they have confirmed there was no casualty in the attack.

Also Read: Drone attacks set Saudi oil facilities ablaze

"We are gratified that there were no injuries. I would like to thank all teams that responded timely to the incidents and brought the situation under control. Work is underway to restore production and a progress update will be provided in around 48 hours," the company head Amin Nasser said, as quoted in the Saudi Aramco statement.

The attack on oil facilities has been condemned by the United States and the United Kingdom. "The UK condemns the reckless drone attack on Aramco oil facilities in Saudi Arabia this morning, for which the Houthis have claimed responsibility," the statement read.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump held a telephonic conversation with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman affirming that his administration is monitoring the situation. Trump offered the administration's support for "Saudi Arabia's self-defence" and condemned the attack on "critical energy infrastructure", The Hill reported.

"Violent actions against civilian areas and infrastructures vital to the global economy only deepen conflict and mistrust. The United States Government is monitoring the situation and remains committed to ensuring global oil markets are stable and well supplied," deputy White House press secretary Judd Deere said in a statement.

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