Dubai: A fire sparked by drone debris has halted some oil loading operations at the United Arab Emirates’ Fujairah port, a vital bunkering centre outside the Strait of Hormuz, intensifying strains on global energy supplies already rattled by escalating regional conflicts.
Industry and trade sources confirmed to Reuters that the suspensions began Saturday after the blaze erupted when debris fell during the interception of a drone threat.
Fujairah’s media office stated: “The fire occurred after debris fell during the interception of a drone, but no injuries were reported.”
Civil defence forces are handling the incident to contain the fire, it added in a statement. Authorities offered no further details on the scope or duration of the operational pauses.
Abu Dhabi state oil giant ADNOC, which maintains significant operations in Fujairah, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Bloomberg News was first to report the suspension of some oil-loading activities at the port, highlighting its strategic position beyond the Hormuz chokepoint, through which about 20% of the world’s oil flows.
The incident compounds pressure on UAE energy infrastructure. Just days earlier, on Tuesday, ADNOC shut its massive Ruwais refinery complex following a fire at a facility there, triggered by a drone strike, according to a source with direct knowledge.
That closure already disrupted refining capacity, forcing reliance on alternative processing and potential imports, sources noted.
Fujairah, handling over 10 million tonnes of bunkering fuel monthly, serves as a critical alternative to Hormuz-dependent routes. Any prolonged halt risks spiking marine fuel costs, delaying tanker voyages, and rippling through global trade chains.
No group has claimed responsibility for the drone interceptions, and UAE officials have not linked them explicitly to Iran or its proxies.
