Saudi Aramco refinery attacked, government shifts LPG import sources
Indonesia’s minister for Energy and Mineral Resources, Bahlil Lahadalia, said the country will shift its liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) imports from the Middle East to countries whose shipping routes do not pass through the Hormuz Strait. The move is part of mitigations in response to the escalating conflict among Israel, the United States, and Iran, which has led to the closing of the Hormuz Strait and the drone attack on Saudi Aramco’s Ras Tanura refinery, a national oil company of Saudi Arabia, officials said on Tuesday, 3 March 2026.
The dynamics of tensions in the Middle East, including those involving Saudi Aramco, intensified yesterday. So the alternative is for us to switch again to avoid taking any risk, Bahlil said at a press conference in his office in Jakarta on Tuesday.
From the total requirement, around 30 per cent is still met from the Middle East, including from Saudi Aramco.
“So some of it will be switched to purchases in countries not connected to the Hormuz Strait,” he said.
Previously, Saudi Aramco’s Ras Tanura refinery in Saudi Arabia had to suspend operations after a drone attack amid the regional escalation.
The drone attack was reported on Monday, 2 March 2026. The incident sparked a small fire at the Ras Tanura refinery complex, on the Persian Gulf coast in eastern Saudi Arabia.
According to an industry source cited by Reuters, the refinery operator, Saudi Aramco, decided to halt operations at the facility as a precaution after the attack.
Although a small fire was caused by falling drone debris, initial reports indicated that there were no casualties.
The halt in operations was undertaken to ensure the safety of the facility and its workers, while allowing for a more comprehensive assessment of the damage.
The Ras Tanura refinery itself is one of the world’s most important energy facilities.
With a processing capacity of 550,000 barrels per day (bpd), it is one of the largest oil refineries in the Middle East and a key part of Saudi Arabia’s oil export network.