Fire in Kuwait briefly halts petroleum coke exports

It is the third fire in four months at facilities operated by the Kuwait National Petroleum Company

The Shuaiba oil refinery south of Kuwait City. AFP

Coke exports from Kuwait's National Petroleum Company were paused after a fire broke out in the Shuaiba Industrial Area in the early hours of Friday, the company said.

“The accident did not result in any injuries, and coal exports were temporarily suspended until the safety of the site was secured,” the company said on Twitter.

Petroleum coke is a by-product of the oil refining process and usually carries low risk of combustion on transport. The fire is thought to have started in a pipeline.

It is the third fire in four months at facilities under the control of the Kuwait National Petroleum company. On January 14, a blaze at the Al Ahmadi port refinery killed two people and injured 10.

Kuwait's Minister of Oil, Dr Muhammad Al Fares, said last week's incident was under investigation and visited the injured in hospital.

Another fire at the same refinery in October 2021 caused two hospital admissions and other staff were treated for smoke inhalation on site.

Neither previous fire affected refinery activities or exports.