Oil tankers come under attack after US warning

摘要

Damage to four tankers sustained when they were close to UAE territorial wa- ters and a reported drone strike on two pumping stations in Saudi Arabia have heightened supply security concerns and helped push up oil prices. Two pumping stations were attacked by drones on 14 May, according to Saudi Aramco, forcing it to suspend operations at its 5mn b/d East-West pipeline. The incident came after Saudi Arabia said two of its oil tankers were among the four attacked near UAE territorial waters in the Gulf of Oman on 12 May, as they were crossing into the Mideast Gulf. Reports of the incident, combined with undefi ned warnings from Washington of increased threats from Iran against Mid- east Gulf oil infrastructure, helped push benchmark North Sea Dated to a near six-month high of more than $74/bl on 16 May.