Saudi Aramco Keeps Operations Running After Headquarters Attack — Staff Asked To Work From Home, Some Functions Shifted Abroad

Saudi Aramco’s headquarters in Dhahran, eastern Saudi Arabia, suffered extensive damage following an attack on Tuesday, with a fire spreading across several floors of the complex, according to people with direct knowledge of the incident.
Despite the damage, operations at the headquarters have continued, although some employees have been asked to work from home while certain functions have been temporarily shifted to Aramco’s offices outside Saudi Arabia.
The Dhahran complex houses a key operations centre through which the world’s largest oil company oversees onshore and offshore oil rigs, refineries, export terminals and thousands of kilometres of pipelines.
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Energy confirmed that the headquarters was attacked on Tuesday night but described the resulting fire as limited. The incident came amid an escalation in fighting between the kingdom and Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement.
However, sources familiar with the damage said the fire affected several floors of the building and continued burning into the early hours of Wednesday.
Two sources said the fire began on the ninth floor of the south wing before spreading between the sixth and 10th floors.
Another source said the upper three floors of the building, where the office of Saudi Aramco Chief Executive Officer Amin Nasser is located, were severely damaged.
According to the source, part of the ceiling collapsed, while windows and doors were blown out during the attack.
The extent of the damage described by the sources appeared more substantial than the “limited fire” referred to by the Saudi Energy Ministry, although the company’s core operations were said to have continued normally.
Some employees were advised to work remotely as authorities and company officials assessed the damage, while other functions were shifted to Aramco’s global offices.
Saudi Aramco had not issued a public response to Reuters’ request for comment at the time of the report.
The attack on the Dhahran headquarters marks another escalation in renewed hostilities involving Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, who have also threatened further attacks on Saudi airports and oil facilities.
The post Saudi Aramco Keeps Operations Running After Headquarters Attack — Staff Asked To Work From Home, Some Functions Shifted Abroad appeared first on TheNigeriaLawyer.

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