Bahrain’s only oil refinery declares force majeure on operations after Iranian strikes

Bapco Energies said last week the 90-year-old refinery was damaged in an attack. Persian Gulf producers Iraq and the United Arab Emirates have also been forced to cut output.

[1/3] Smoke rises following a strike on the Bapco Oil Refinery, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, on Sitra Island Bahrain, March 9, 2026. Picture taken with a mobile phone. REUTERS/

New Delhi: Bahrain’s main energy company, which operates the island nation’s only oil refinery, declared force majeure on operations that have been impacted by the ongoing war in the Middle East.

Bapco Energies said local market needs are being met, according to a statement. The company said last week the 90 year-old refinery was damaged in an attack. It recently boosted capacity at the plant to about 400,000 barrels a day and modernized units capable of producing more jet fuel and diesel.

The announcement of force majeure, a contractual clause that allows a company to interrupt shipments, follows similar declarations by QatarEnergy for shipments from the world’s biggest liquefied natural gas plant and Kuwait for oil sales after it started output cuts at its fields and refineries.

Persian Gulf producers Iraq and the United Arab Emirates have also been forced to cut output.