Saudis Deny Fire at Plant Was Sabotage
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RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — The government Saturday denied that sabotage had caused a fire at a $2.8-billion plant in the kingdom’s Eastern Province last month.
The official Saudi Press Agency quoted an official at the Saudi Petrochemical Co. (SADAF) plant in Jubail as saying there was no evidence that a fire which broke out in an ethylene storage tank was set off by explosives.
“It was a normal industrial accident. If anything proves otherwise, it will be announced immediately,” the official was quoted as saying.
Oil industry sources in the Persian Gulf said earlier in the week that a fence surrounding the plant had been pierced and evidence of explosive charges was found at the scene.
SADAF, a joint venture between the government-controlled Saudi Basic Industries Corp. and the Shell Oil Co., produces more than 2 million tons of petrochemicals a year.
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