Abqaiq
Coordinates: 25 ° 56 ′ 0 ″ N , 49 ° 40 ′ 0 ″ E
Abqaiq ( Arabic بقيق, DMG Biqaiq , German transcription Abkaik ) is a city and an oil field in Saudi Arabia and at the same time the world's largest oil processing complex on the Persian Gulf . Two thirds of Saudi exports of eight million barrels per day are processed here.
The place is located in the desert 60 km away from the metropolitan area Dhahran - Dammam - al-Chubar ( Dammam Area ).
About 30,000 people live in the community, of which only 1,500 are not directly or indirectly involved in the oil sector.
history
The place was specifically built by the state oil company Saudi Aramco to exploit the nearby oil deposits. Abqaiq is one of four churches that Saudi Aramco created in this region. The others are Dhahran , Udhailiyah and Ra's Tanura . The latter place achieved great fame because it is home to the world's largest oil loading terminal (see article). Dhahran quickly grew into a large city and was therefore united with two neighboring cities (Dammam Area).
traffic
The city is served by King Fahd International Airport , 80 kilometers away . The airport is also used by Saudi Aramco to bring employees and all kinds of goods to Abqaig. However, there is also a small 1851 meter long runway (Abqaiq Airport) near the city that belongs to Saudi Aramco. It is currently not in use, but serves as a small alternative airport for emergencies if King Fahd International Airport fails or the route to it is blocked and goods have to be flown in.
There are numerous bus routes within the city operated by Saudi Aramco's transportation division. There are also train connections to neighboring cities.
Terrorism and war
On February 24, 2006, the oil field was the target of a terrorist attack, which was however thwarted by security forces . According to the Saudi Arabian Interior Ministry, the two suicide bombers and two security forces died in an exchange of fire . There was only minor property damage to the system.
On September 14, 2019, there were drone attacks on oil facilities in Abqaiq and Churais , causing fires.