The emirate serves as a strategic outlet for exports of Murban crude, with shipments of around 1 million barrels per day flowing through the facility. That volume accounts for roughly 1% of global oil demand, making Fujairah one of the most important energy transit points outside the Strait of Hormuz.

Fujairah’s location on the Gulf of Oman allows crude shipments to bypass the narrow Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for global energy supplies that has become increasingly sensitive amid the ongoing regional conflict.

Industry participants closely monitor the emirate because it provides one of the few alternative export routes in the region should shipping through the strait face disruption.

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, which operates major energy infrastructure in the emirate, did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the incident or the status of facilities.

Bloomberg News earlier reported that oil loading operations in Fujairah had resumed following the disruption.

The brief halt in activity underscored the vulnerability of energy infrastructure across the Gulf as regional tensions escalate and drone and missile attacks target key supply hubs.

The Suezmax tanker Shenlong, which can carry about 1 million barrels of crude, loaded its cargo at the Saudi Arabian port of Ras Tanura, according to separate vessel tracking data from the MarineTraffic platform.

Tracking information showed the vessel last recorded its position inside the Strait of Hormuz on March 8 before updating its destination as the Indian port of Mumbai.

The strait is a critical corridor for global energy flows, linking Gulf oil producers with markets in Asia and beyond.India is among the world’s largest crude importers and regularly receives shipments from Middle Eastern producers, including Saudi Arabia.

The vessel is managed by Athens-based shipping company Dynacom, according to maritime data. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the shipment.