Kuwait says port ban does not apply to oil tankers

The coronavirus-related restrictions that Kuwait has implemented at its ports do not cover oil traffic.

The country's communications ministry said "oil sector ships" were exempt from an earlier edict that it would not receive foreign vessels arriving from or departing to China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Italy, Thailand and Iraq until further notice.

China, South Korea and Japan are the three biggest buyers of Kuwait's crude. Sources at KPC confirmed that all oil exports are continuing uninterrupted.

The restrictions were imposed as the Middle East moves to prevent the spread of coronavirus. An outbreak in Iran, the deadliest outside China, has led to flight suspensions across the region.

By Ben Winkley