Kamal Ghorui
Bahrain’s state oil company on Monday declared force majeure on its shipments after Iranian strikes in the region set the largest oil facility on fire, escalating tensions across the Gulf’s vital energy corridor.Bapco said all domestic market needs remain fully secured and supplies will continue without disruption, supported by proactive contingency plans.
The announcement was reported by the state-run Bahrain News Agency, which said the company invoked force majeure — a legal provision that releases a company from contractual obligations due to extraordinary circumstances.
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According to the agency, the company said its operations “have been affected by the ongoing regional conflict in the Middle East and the recent attack on its refinery complex.” However, it maintained that domestic fuel demand would still be met.The development came after a strike targeted Bahrain’s large Al-Ma’ameer oil facility, triggering a fire and causing material damage at the complex. State media said emergency teams quickly moved in to control the situation.“Outbreak of a fire due to the Iranian aggression targeting a facility in Al Ma’ameer, with material damage reported but no casualties recorded, and the competent authorities have begun firefighting procedures,” Bahrain News Agency said in a post on X.The attack marks the latest in a series of strikes on energy installations across the Gulf amid the widening conflict involving Iran, Israel and the United States.At the same time, Iran’s tightening control over the Strait of Hormuz has nearly halted tanker movement through the crucial shipping route between the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman — a passage that carries about a fifth of the world’s oil supply.The growing disruptions have already rattled global energy markets. Brent crude, the international benchmark, surged past $114 a barrel on Monday — roughly 60 percent higher than the levels seen when Israel and the United States first launched strikes on Iran.
