By Sara Gharaibeh
June 28, 2026, 8:26 AM (Bloomberg) – A helicopter operated by Saudi Aramco crashed on Sunday in Ras Tanura, a key energy area, resulting in the deaths of all 14 people on board.
The crash occurred at 6 a.m. local time, according to the Saudi Press Agency, which cited the energy ministry. It did not provide details on the cause of the crash or the identities of the victims, stating only that they were all Saudi nationals. Authorities are currently investigating.
Ras Tanura, located on Saudi Arabia's Persian Gulf coast, is central to the country's energy industry, home to the largest refinery and essential oil export facilities. Just days before the crash, Aramco had resumed loading crude at the terminals for shipments through the Strait of Hormuz after closing them since the start of the Iran war in late February.
It remains unclear whether the helicopter crash affected any energy facilities. Any disruption could pose a significant challenge to Saudi Arabia’s efforts to normalize its operations following a temporary peace agreement between the US and Iran.
The crash happened during a weekend of heightened tensions in the Middle East, with the US and Iran exchanging attacks on military sites and complicating peace negotiations. The back-and-forth began on Thursday with a strike on a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, leading to a US response the next day. Another US strike occurred overnight Saturday after an attack on a vessel carrying Qatari oil, while Iran targeted US interests in Kuwait and Bahrain on Sunday.
On Friday, two large crude carriers were loading at offshore facilities in Ras Tanura port, marking the first use of the terminal since early March, shortly after the war began. The arrival of these tankers indicated that Saudi oil operations were beginning to stabilize.
The energy market is closely monitoring shipments to assess whether exports through Hormuz can maintain their recovery. Crude exports from the Gulf have risen to at least three-quarters of their pre-war levels since the peace deal, which has helped lower oil prices to just below $72 a barrel for benchmark Brent crude by Friday.
The Ras Tanura area had also been targeted early in the conflict. In March, Aramco suspended operations at its refinery following a drone strike in the vicinity. In early April, it faced a series of attacks that reduced overall crude oil production and led to the shutdown of the Satorp refinery, which is jointly run with TotalEnergies SE.