Saudi Arabia launches naval exercise to protect oil installations

The Eastern Fleet of the Royal Saudi Naval Forces (RSNF) yesterday began a joint exercise to prepare for attacks against the kingdom's oil installations, the Ministry of Defence announced.

The five-day exercise includes units from the Eastern Fleet, the Ministry of Interior represented by the Eastern Province Border Guards, the Presidency of State Security, and the Ministry of Energy represented by Saudi Aramco and Aramco Gulf Operations Company.

The Ministry of Defence said the drill aims to raise the "readiness and preparedness of all participating units to confront terrorist operations against oil installations."

It will also improve the level of coordination and information exchange, and unify leadership and communication between the participating units, it added.

The exercise was held at the King Abdulaziz Naval Base in Jubail in the kingdom's Eastern Province

The Saudi navy will also conduct a joint naval exercise with its Sudanese counterpart, at King Faisal Naval Base, in the west of the country.

The exercises coincide with the escalation of attacks by the Yemeni Houthi group against vital Saudi oil facilities, including Aramco, the world's largest oil company.