A section of the A-B oil pipeline in Bahrain has been blown up by saboteurs. The incident happened on Friday 10 November 2017, close to the village of Buri, about 15 km to the south of Manama. Supplies of oil though the pipeline have been shut off while the fire is extinguished and repairs carried out, and people living close to the explosion have been evacuated for their own safety. The Bahrain government has blamed the blast on Shi'ite militants 'taking orders' from Iran, though the Iranian government has denied this.
Fire following an explosion that blew up part of an oil pipeline near Buri in Bahrain on 10 November 2017. Hamad Mohammed/Reuters.
The A-B pipeline carries about 230 000 barrels (36 600 000 litres) of Arabian Llight crude oil per day, from the Abu Safa Oilfield, which is shared between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, to the Bahrain Petroleum Company's refinery at Awali in the centre of the country.
The approximate location of the 10 November 2017 Buri pipeline explosion. Google Maps.
Bahrain has a majority Shi'ite population, but has been ruled by the Suni Al Khalifa family since independence from Iran in 1971. The country has parliamentary elections, but the government is appointed by the King, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and little political opposition is tolerated. This has led to an unstable situation with occasional uprisings and frequent acts of sabotage, all of which tend to be blamed on Iran, a country which provides at least moral support for opposition groups.
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