A lightning strike has ignited a gas vent stack at an offshore oil and gas facility near Miri, Malaysia, according to local reports.
The blast occurred after the electrical discharge hit a gas line, triggering an explosion at the production site.
Authorities have not yet confirmed the extent of the damage or whether production has been halted.
The incident comes at a sensitive time for global energy markets, which are already reeling from a catastrophic explosion at Qatar’s Ras Laffan liquefied natural gas (LNG) complex.
That earlier event, which struck shortly after operations were resumed, marked a significant setback for global LNG supply and raised immediate questions about potential disruptions in the broader energy sector.
While the Miri facility is primarily an oil and gas production site rather than a dedicated LNG export terminal, any unplanned outage in Southeast Asia’s key energy hub can tighten regional supply balances.