Kolkata: Following a fire that was triggered by a drone attack, UAE state-owned oil company ADNOC suspended operations at its Ruwais refinery complex in Abu Dhabi. According to reports, this decision was taken when a fire broke out in a part of the complex after a drone attack. Reuters has stated that the refinery was shut down as a precautionary measure for safety reasons. All other facilities of the complex were functioning normally.
Incidentally, on March 2, 2026, drones hit LNG plants and terminals at Qatar’s Ras Laffan Industrial City, which has one of the world’s largest LNG export terminals. QatarEnergy subsequently halted production at these sites which caused major global supply concerns and invoked force majeure clause to suspend supplies to countries such as India.
Fire breaks out after drone strike
The Abu Dhabi government’s media confirmed that a fire broke out in part of the oil complex following a drone attack. Emergency teams immediately arrived at the scene and began efforts to control the situation. However, officials did not specify which specific plant or unit within the complex was attacked. According to reports, the Ruwais Complex is a major hub of Abu Dhabi’s oil industry, operating major projects related to refining, petrochemicals, fertilizers, and industrial gas.
The Ruwais complex has a combined capacity to refine about 9.22 lakh barrels of crude per day. It is a key hub for Abu Dhabi’s downstream oil industry, home to several large industrial plants.
One unit completely shut down
According to energy market monitor IIR Energy, the main crude distillation unit at Ruwais Refinery-2 (West), with a capacity of approximately 417,000 barrels per day, was shut down following the drone attack. The company is reportedly preparing for a comprehensive shutdown as part of a plant-wide safety audit. On March 6, production at several units at Ruwais Refinery-1 (East) was reduced by approximately 10-20% due to regional tensions.
Following the US and Israeli attacks on Iran, the latter has Iran has retaliated by launching attacks on several neighboring countries, targeting US assets as well as oil-related infrastructure. The outcome has been a rise in the world energy scenario that it already suffering from Iran’s decision to block traffic at the Strait of Hormuz.
Earlier, there were more reports of attack on oil assets such as on Ras Tanura refinery in Saudi Arabia. Bahrain-based company Bapco Energies has declared force majeure on its refinery operations. Kuwait Petroleum Corporation has also started reducing oil production.