Saudi Aramco helicopter crash in Ras Tanura leaves 14 dead; cause unknown

Fourteen people were killed on Sunday after a helicopter belonging to Saudi oil giant Aramco crashed in Ras Tanura, the Saudi state news agency reported. All 14 killed in the crash were Saudi citizens.

Aramco had resumed crude oil loadings on Friday at its Ras Tanura terminal in the Gulf after they were halted for nearly four months.

The Saudi Ministry of Energy, in a statement, said that a helicopter belonging to Saudi Aramco crashed in Ras Tanura at 6 AM ADT (2:30 PM IST) “The accident resulted in the death of all its passengers, numbering 14, all of whom are Saudi citizens.”

The reasons for the Saudi Aramco helicopter crash are unknown, the agency said. Investigation is ongoing. "Investigations are underway, with the participation of relevant authorities, to determine the causes of the helicopter crash," it said.

Aramco said it operates more than 60 aircraft, including helicopters, serving more than 300 heliports in Saudi Arabia, making it one of the largest corporate fleets in the region.

The Ministry of Energy also extended its “sincere condolences and sympathy to the families of those killed in the crash”.

What is Ras Tanura?

Ras Tanura is home to one of the largest refineries in the Middle East, with a capacity of 550,000 barrels per day, and is critical to Saudi Arabia's energy sector.

It serves as a critical global energy hub and is primarily known for housing the massive operations of Saudi Aramco. The city features the oldest and largest domestic oil refinery in the nation, as well as a vital marine terminal that exports a large share of the global crude supply.

The refinery has been targeted several times, notably during an Iranian drone attack at the beginning of the conflict, which caused a fire and forced a partial shutdown.

Riyadh said in April that the weeks-long attacks had disrupted several production operations at key facilities, with refineries in Ras Tanura as well as Jubail, Yanbu and Riyadh targeted.

Saudi Arabia is ramping up oil exports

Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil exporter, has joined ‌a rush to move cargoes after Middle East producers ramped up oil and gas output and exports ahead of an interim deal to halt the war between the United States and Iran.

According to a recent Bloomberg report, Saudi Arabia was reopening its Persian Gulf ports that were shuttered by the Iran war, and increasing loadings at Red Sea outlets it has used to bypass the Strait of Hormuz.

Two very large crude carriers were reportedly loading on Friday at single-point moorings that form part of the Ras Tanura port on the Persian Gulf, ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg show. They’re the first tankers to use the terminal since early March, when Riyadh was forced to divert crude to the Red Sea through a 746-mile (1,200-kilometre) pipeline across the country.

Saudi Arabia, the world's leading crude exporter, produces a little over 10 million bpd.