Kuwait ports reopen after fog lifts

Kuwait's port authority has restarted maritime operations after a temporary halt on Monday due to heavy fog, while other Gulf crude export ports remained open.

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Kuwait's port authority has restarted maritime operations after a temporary halt on Monday due to heavy fog, an official said on Tuesday, while other Arabian Gulf crude export ports remained open.

"They are all open," a Kuwaiti official in the general manager's office said on Tuesday after the entry and exit of ships into Kuwaiti ports was partially suspended for safety reasons.

Although the blanket of fog extended south to Dubai, Gulf oil export ports in Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia remained open, shipping sources said.

OPEC heavyweight Saudi Arabia exports most of its crude - well over 7 million barrels per day (bpd) in 2012 - from ports in the Gulf.

Kuwait ships all of its 2 million bpd from ports in the Gulf and the United Arab Emirates ships most of its 2.4 million bpd exports from terminals in Abu Dhabi.