Iranian and Russian naval forces simulate the rescue of a hijacked ship during a joint naval exercise at Bandar Abbas Port near the Strait of Hormuz in Hormozgan, Iran, February 19, 2026.
Anadolu | Anadolu | Getty Images
A new wave of attacks on the United Arab Emirates’ energy infrastructure has raised concerns about prolonged supply disruptions during the Iran war.
The incident comes after a drone attack on the world’s largest super-acid gas development sparked a fire in the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) Fujairah oil industry and another tanker was rammed near the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
The UAE also reopened its airspace on Tuesday after a brief closure following a fire caused by an Iranian drone strike that hit a fuel tank.
Operations at the UAE’s giant Shah gas field remained suspended on Tuesday after a drone attack caused a fire at the facility, Abu Dhabi authorities said. No injuries were reported as a result of the incident.
The Shah gas field is located 180 kilometers southwest of Abu Dhabi and is operated by a joint venture between ADNOC and Occidental Petroleum Corporation. It has the capacity to produce 1.28 billion standard cubic feet of gas per day and 4.2 million tons of sulfur per year.
Separately, a drone attack caused a fire in the Fujairah oil industry area, a vital hub for the UAE’s crude oil export and bunkering operations. Fujairah’s government press office said on Tuesday that no casualties were reported.
Fujairah is one of the world’s leading oil and fuel storage centers, located on the east coast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and serves as an important transport hub to the wider region.
It has faced repeated attacks in recent weeks, highlighting the vulnerability of the UAE’s only export route, which bypasses the Strait of Hormuz.
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints, has been virtually halted since the United States and Israel launched an offensive against Iran on February 28. Iran has retaliated by targeting ships attempting to pass through the maritime corridor.
The UAE’s Abu Dhabi Crude Oil Pipeline (ADCOP), or Habsan-Fujairah oil pipeline, which spans approximately 398 miles from the onshore oil facility in Habshan to Fujairah, is estimated to handle 1.5 million barrels per day, with a reported total capacity of nearly 1.8 million barrels per day.
crude oil price
An anchored tanker was also hit by an unknown projectile about 33 nautical miles east of the UAE’s Fujairah in the Gulf of Oman, according to an update released by the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) Center on Monday.
UKMTO said the incident caused minor structural damage, but there were no injuries to the crew and no environmental impacts were reported.
The latest report comes after six ships were damaged in and around the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, Gulf of Oman and surrounding areas last week as Iran warned that oil prices could rise to $200 a barrel.
Smoke rises from an ongoing fire near Dubai International Airport in Dubai, March 16, 2026. Dubai Airport, previously the world’s busiest airport for international flights, gradually resumed operations on March 16 after a “drone-related incident” caused a fire in a nearby fuel tank as Iran continued its Gulf attacks, the airport operator said.
– | AFP | Getty Images
Crude oil prices rose on Tuesday morning as energy market participants closely monitored ongoing supply disruptions.
international brent crude oil Futures prices for May delivery rose 3% to $103.21 per barrel, but the U.S. west texas intermediate Futures for April delivery rose 3.2% to $96.52.
Prices soared about 40% during the US-Iran war, reaching their highest level since 2022 as shipping through the strait was severely disrupted. Brent closed above $100 last week for the first time in four years.
