The escalation follows reports of a possible total operational shutdown at the Abqaiq facility and emergency flaring at the Khurais field that has continued for seven days. Abqaiq processes 7 million barrels per day, or 7% of global supply, and Ghawar historically produces over 5 million barrels per day. These events occur as US Air Force KC-135R and E-11A aircraft operate near the Saudi-Iraq border and a hurricane has removed 1.28 million barrels per day from US Gulf output, causing oil prices to jump more than 5%.
Tuesday, October 20, 2026
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Houthis Trigger 616 MW Fire at World's Largest Oil Field
Commodities11 days ago
Ansar Allah forces targeted oil and gas facilities in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province on October 9 with ballistic missile strikes. The attack hit the Shedgum plant within the world's largest conventional onshore oil field, where NASA FIRMS data recorded a peak fire radiating power of 616 MW, far exceeding the normal 69 MW. Satellite imagery and regional reports show massive black smoke plumes rising from Shedgum and the Northern Ghawar area, while fires were also reported at the Hawiyah gas plant and Shaybah oil field.
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