Workers injured in Saudi Aramco oil facility blaze

Riyadh: Several workers were injured in a fire at a Saudi Aramco crude oil facility near Riyadh today, without affecting operations, the Gulf oil giant said.

“Aramco regrets to report that several workers were injured as a result of a fire at a crude oil facility in Alwsea and all are being treated,” it said in a post on its Twitter account.

“The fire is under control. Company’s operations are not impacted,” it added.

Aramco did not immediately give an exact number of those hurt but Saudi newspaper Al-Riyadh said 17 people were hospitalised, with three needing treatment in intensive care.

In September, a fire ripped through Aramco’s Gulf coast Ras Tanura oil terminal injuring eight workers.

The company is at the heart of Saudi Arabia’s wide-ranging Vision 2030 plan to wean the economy of the world’s biggest petroleum exporter off oil.

The kingdom plans to float five per cent of Saudi Aramco on the stock market. The proceeds would help form what will become the world’s biggest state investment fund, with around USD 2 trillion in assets.

AFP