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Oil site bombed in Kuwait

SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Monday, November 6, 2006

ABU DHABI — An oil refinery in Kuwait sustained damaged by an explosion.

Officials said the explosion took place at the Shuweiba oil refinery, which produces 200,000 barrels of fuel per day. They said the bombing, which did not result in casualties, led to a partial shutdown of the facility.

The bombing of the refinery's heavy oil unit was reported during a U.S. military alert of an Iranian-sponsored strike on Gulf Cooperation Council states. The alert was said to have focused on a potential attack on oil facilities in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

Shuweiba, located 50 kilometers south of Kuwait City, has been the smallest refinery in the sheikdom. Officials said the facility, which produces gasoline and natural gas, was operating at a rate of 130,000 barrels per day in wake of the blast, Middle East Newsline reported.

More than 800 people were evacuated after the bombing, which sparked a fire at Shuweiba. Officials said that by late Saturday, the blaze was extinguished.

The bombing at Shuweiba was expected to hurt Kuwait's requirements for gasoline and other fuel. In late October, the state-owned Kuwait National Petroleum Corp. suspended operations at Mina Abdullah, the second largest refinery in the sheikdom and with a capacity of 270,000 barrels per day.

Hussein Ismail, deputy managing director of Shuweiba, said the bombing was not the work of whom he termed terrorists. Ismail said an investigation would be launched, but did not say when the facility would return to full operations.

"We don't know," Ismail said. "That depends on the extent of the damage."


Copyright © 2006 East West Services, Inc.

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