Friday, May 13, 1977.
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Page Five
Friday, May 13, 1977 THE MICHIGAN DAILY Page Five
Arabian oil fire under control
BOB BAGERIS Presents
AN EVENING WITH
DHARAN, Saudi Arabia (AP)
- A mysterious explosion and
pipeline fire in the heart of the
world's greatest :oil producing
area was brought tinder control
yesterday before it could crip-
ple Saudi Arabia's oil produc-
tionand export facilities, oil
company officials said.
Though contained, the fire
was still reported burning yes-
terday at the Abqaiq oil field in
the desert about 35 miles from
this oil center on the Persian
Gulf.
THE ARABIAN American
Oil Co. (Aramco) which oper-
ates the field and must Saudi
oil production, said one em-
ploye was killed and 13 others
were hospitalized with burns
and other injuries. A U.S. Em-
bassy official said the dead man
was a Saudi foreman and that
no Americans were believed to
be among the injured.
The cause of the explosion
was not immediately determ-
ined. American diplomats in
Saudi Arabia said the possibili-
ty of sabotage was being in-
vestigated, and a source on
Capitol Hill in Washington said
he understood Palestinian ter-
rorists had set off the giant
blaze with satchel explosives to
protest the possibility of a ne-
gotiated settlement between Is-
rael and the Arabs.
But Frank Jungers, the
American president of Aram-
co, said of the sabotage pos-
sibility: "Absolutely not. It
was a pipeline failure. It defi-
nitely .was not that.'
THIS DESERT KINGDOM is
one of the most conservative
regimes among Arab nations.
The explosion and fire rup-
tured a major pipeline and forc-
ed the shutdown of the Abqaiq
oil field, which produces about
800,000 barrels of oil a day.
In Japan, which is heavily
dependent on Saudi oil imports,
news of the fire led to near-
panic buying on the Tokyo fore-
ign currency and stock ex-
changes.
BUT ARAMCO officials play-
ed down the possible impact
of the fire on the world oil mar-
ket.
Exports will decline tempor-
arily, "but it's not a major les-
sening of production," Jungers
said in an interview with a re-
porter who contacted him here
by telephone from Washington.
There were varying reports
on how much of the Saudi oil
production was affected.
OIL INDUSTRY sources here
and in Nicosia, Cyprus, said the
affected pipeline has a capa-
city of five million barrels
daily, almost two-thirds of all
Sandi production. But Jungers
said there was "not that kind
of loss at all."
Aramco officials said they ex-
pected to meet the company's
monthly production schedule
despite the fire..
The explosion occurred at a
section of pipeline between two
ptumping stations. Aramco of-
ficials said. When the line rup-
tured it sprayed oil over a near-
by processing area, causing a
fire to erupt and spread rapid-
ly," according to an Aramco
statement.
JOAN BAEZ
SPECIAL GUEST STAR
DANNY O'KEEF
Tickets $5.50-6.50-7.50 Reserved Avaolable at the
Masonic Temple Box Office, All Hudsons & Wards
A BAMBOO PRODUCTION
A Io time ago in a galaxy farfar away...
It's a spewing smoke-
stack. It's litter in the
streets. It's a river where
fish can't live.
You know what pollu-
tion is.
But not everyone does.
So the next time you see
pollution, don't close your
eyes to it.
Write a letter. Make a
call. Point itoutto someone
who can do something
about it.
People
start pollution.
People
can stop it.
KeepAmeica Beautiful
tONPVU A11W#.AN1eYork, ,. Y. I WOs
Thmes Advoirt CoNamepr
T ENTIETH CENTURY-FCR Presents A LUCASFILM LTD PRODUCTION
STAR WARS
Sterrng MARK HAMILL HARPISON FORD CAPRIE FISHER
PETER CUSHING
and
ALEC GUINNESS
Written and Drected by GEORGE LUCAS Produced by GARY KURTZ msictby JOHN WILLIAMS
.PG M.a F er"" PANAVISIN P5NTM BY DE W' 1ECHtNCaoJ
Star Wars opens May 25th in these cities:
NEW YORK -Astor Plaza PHOENIX -Cine Capri WASHINGTON -Uptown
NEW YORK -Orpheum SAN DIEGO-Valley Circle TORONTO-Uptown I
HICKSVILLE - Twin. MINNEAPOLIS -St. Louis Park 'CHICAGO -River Oaks I
PARAMUS- RKO PHILADELPHIA- Eric's Place . *CHICAGO -Edens 2
MENLO PARK -Cinema PENNSAUKEN - Eric I 'CHICAGO -Yorktown 3
BOSTON-Charles LAWRENCEVILLE -Eric I *CHICAGO-Esquire
CINCINNATI- Showcase Cin I CLAYMONT -Eric I *DALLAS -NorthPark 2
DAYTON -Dayton Mall I FAIRLESS HILLS -Eric II *HOUSTON -Galleria 2
DENVER -Cooper PITTSBURGH - Showcase *DES MOINES -Riverhill
ROCK ISLAND (Milan)-Cinema 3 PORTLAND - Westgate I *INDIANAPOLIS -Eastwood
DETROIT-Americana i SALT LAKE CITY -Centre *OMAHA -Cin. Center
LOUISVILLE-Cinema l SAN FRANCISCO-Coronet *MONTREAL -Westmont Sq
KANSAS CITY -Glenwood I SACRAMENTO -Century 25 *VANCOUVER - Stanley
LOS ANGELES -Avco I SAN JOSE -Century 22A *ST. LOUIS-Creve Coeur
GB. ORANGE-City Centre I SEATTLE--U.A. 15 'Opens May 27th