A family sits with a shipyard in the background off the coast of Fujairah, a coastal city in the Strait of Hormuz in the northern emirate on February 25, 2026.
Giuseppe Cacasse | AFP | Getty Images
A drone attack in Fujairah, the United Arab Emirates’ main oil trading hub, caused a massive fire, but no injuries were reported, authorities said on Monday.
“Emirati civil defense teams immediately responded to the incident and continued efforts to put it down,” the Fujairah Media Authority said on social media, according to Google Translate.
Reuters reported, citing two unnamed sources, that oil loading operations at a major oil bunkering site had been suspended due to the drone attack. CNBC has contacted ADNOC in the UAE and is awaiting a response.
The attack followed another drone strike and artillery attack in Fujairah on Saturday, highlighting the vulnerability of the UAE’s only export route, which bypasses the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.
Shipping traffic through one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints has come to a virtual standstill 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, with several incidents reported in recent days.
Fujairah is at the end of the UAE’s Abu Dhabi Crude Oil Pipeline (ADCOP), or Habshan-Fujairah oil pipeline, which bypasses the Strait of Hormuz.
The approximately 398-mile pipeline from the Habshan onshore oil facility to Fujairah is estimated to process 1.5 million barrels per day, with a reported total capacity of nearly 1.8 million barrels per day.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said over the weekend that U.S. interests in the UAE, including ports, piers and military sites, were legitimate targets.
Iranian state media also warned residents and workers near Fujairah, Jebel Ali and Khalifa ports to evacuate as soon as possible due to the presence of US troops.
Crude oil prices widened their rise on Friday morning. International benchmark Brent crude oil futures (for May delivery) rose 3% to $106.18 per barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate (for April delivery) rose 2% to $100.66.
Both contracts have risen more than 50% in the past month, reaching their highest levels since 2022.
