Dubai: Shipping tracker TankerTrackers.com has reported that Kuwait logged no crude oil exports in April for the first time since the 1991 Gulf War ended, even as production held steady, agencies reported.
Blockade of the Strait of Hormuz which snarled tanker movements prompted Kuwait to shift output to domestic storage and refining rather than overseas shipments, the monitor explained. In an X post, it highlighted this as the inaugural zero-export month for the OPEC producer in over three decades.
Hormuz Blockade Chokes Global Flows
The strait—linchpin for worldwide energy transit — faces chaos from the US-Israel war on Iran, spurring exporters to hoard or detour cargoes. “Kuwait still produces oil which it then takes partly into storage and partly into refined products; some of which has been exported…Crude oil however, hasn’t departed to our best knowledge,” TankerTrackers.com added in a follow-up X post.
The firm ties the halt directly to Hormuz restrictions and shipping fallout. As a key OPEC producer, Kuwait’s inability to move crude through the Hormuz bottleneck has forced the country to rely on storage and refining capacity while suspending contractual obligations to its international clients.
Qatar Urges De-escalation
On Saturday, Qatar called Iran to prioritize regional stability amid West Asia flare-ups. Foreign Ministry posts on X detailed a call between Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani and Iran’s Abbas Araghchi.
“Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs also emphasised that freedom of navigation is a well-established and non-negotiable principle, and that closing the Strait of Hormuz or using it as a bargaining chip would only exacerbate the crisis and jeopardise the vital interests of the region’s countries. He noted the potential negative repercussions this could have on global energy and food supplies, as well as on the market and supply chains’ stability,” the statement said.
“In this context, the Prime Minister stressed the need to adhere to the provisions of international law and the Charter of the United Nations, and to prioritise the interests of the region and its people to contribute to strengthening regional and international security and stability, and to support efforts to de-escalate tensions,” it further noted.
Meanwhile, US Central Command reported on X redirecting 48 Persian Gulf vessels — especially in Hormuz — over 20 days through Navy actions targeting Iranian assets. USS New Orleans (LPD-18) patrols the Arabian Sea during the port blockade.
