Kuwait shuts down crude refining unit

The Managing Director of Al-Shuaiba Refinery announced here on Wednesday that Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC) has turned off one of the two heavy oil fragmentation units for regular maintenance, cost of which is estimated at KD 1.4 million. Ahmad Al-Gimaz said in a statement to KUNA that the maintenance would last for 50 days, as of the 18th of the current month, noting however that the team picked up to conduct the maintenance would try to make the unit in need for regular maintenance every two years, not only one year, according to its current condition. The unit to be maintained has a daily output capacity of 25,000 barrels. Its stoppage will not affect the refinery overall refining capacity, he added. Al-Shuaiba refinery capacity stands at up to 200,000 barrels per day , one of three refineries run by the KNPC, of a total capacity of 930,000 bpd.