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Kuwait declares ‘state of emergency’ due to massive oil spill

A video posted by Kuwaiti media showed a gushing pipe surrounded by a large slick of oil, but the exact location of the spill has not been disclosed

Kuwait oil leaks

The Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) announced a state of emergency on Monday after an oil spill occurred on land in the west of the country.

The company confirmed that no injuries or disruption to production had been reported.

A video posted by Kuwaiti media showed a gushing pipe surrounded by a large slick of oil, but the exact location of the spill has not been disclosed.

Teams have been dispatched to determine the source of the leak and contain the incident, the company said in a statement.

Kuwait’s Al Rai newspaper released a video on Twitter showing a pipe spewing large amounts of oil onto barren land.

The spokesman for the state-owned company, Qusai al-Amer, said that the leak occurred on land but not in a residential area. He also added that no toxic fumes have been reported and production has not been affected.

Kuwait is a major oil-producing country, with almost 90 percent of its government revenues coming from oil.

The country is currently producing about 2.7 million barrels per day and is a key member of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

This is not the first time that the KOC has reported oil leaks. Similar incidents occurred in 2020 and 2016.

In 2017, Kuwaiti authorities also reported two slicks off the Gulf’s state’s shores over the span of a few days.

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