War halves Kuwaiti oil products output, export in March

Kuwait's refinery output dropped by roughly half and exports by more than half in March, following the start of the US-Iran war on 28 February, which caused damage to Kuwait's oil infrastructure.

Joint Organisations Data Initiative (Jodi) updates show that Kuwait's refinery production, excluding LPG, stood at just 627,000 b/d in March, its lowest since at least October 2022. Kuwait normally produces close to 1.1mn b/d, and in February its output reached an all-time high of 1.31mn b/d, according to Jodi data that goes back to 2002.

Middle distillates and naphtha output were most affected. Jet fuel production fell by 58pc and gasoil by 45pc compared with average 2025 outputs, while naphtha dropped by 73pc. Fuel oil production was down by 17pc, while gasoline was the only oil product that increased compared with 2025, by 20pc.

Kuwait's refining infrastructure was repeatedly hit by Iranian drone attacks in March and April. The 346,000 b/d Mina al Ahmadi refinery was hit on 3 April, after being hit on 19 and 20 March, and on 2 March, while 454,000 b/d Mina Abdullah was also struck on 19 March. Kuwait also operates the 615,000 b/d al-Zour refinery, but no direct hits have been reported there. The exact extent of the refinery damage has not been specified, making it difficult to assess the impact on operations. But at the end of March some units were shut at Mina al Ahmadi and Mina Abdullah was fully offline — it is now set to return online by 30 June — while al-Zour was operating at around 50pc capacity.

Plant run rates could have also been lowered in response to the ongoing blockade of the strait of Hormuz, which continues to prevent refineries in the Mideast Gulf from exporting oil products.

Kuwait's total oil product exports dropped by 60pc in March, compared with the average in 2025, Jodi data show. Middle distillates again suffered the biggest losses, with an around 78pc drop in jet fuel and 63pc drop in diesel exports. Naphtha exports fell by 59pc and fuel oil by 32pc, with gasoline again the only product marking an increase.

The war has also severely disrupted regional and global flight schedules, with most of the countries in the Middle East closing their airspace at the start of the conflict. Kuwait was the last country in the region to announce that its airspace was reopening, on 24 April — nearly two months after shutting it, and is only starting the resumption of full operations at its international airport from 1 June. The flight disruption has sharply curtailed Kuwaiti jet fuel demand, which dropped to just 1,000 b/d in March, compared with an average 19,000 b/d in 2025.

By Ieva Paldaviciute