Kuwait Petroleum Company has provided a timetable for restoring its oil operations once the Strait of Hormuz is reopened. The company's managing director for international marketing, Shaikh Khaled Ahmad Al-Sabah, said that roughly 70% of normal oil output could be recovered within six to eight weeks after the channel is accessible again, and that the remaining capacity would likely take about one more month to return.
Al-Sabah delivered the projection during remarks at the S&P Global Energy Middle East Petroleum and Gas Conference on Tuesday. He also outlined expectations for refinery operations, saying those facilities should resume normal production more quickly than upstream output.
Specifically, Kuwait Petroleum Company anticipates refinery activity returning to typical levels in approximately two to three weeks after the crisis that has affected the Strait of Hormuz concludes. On the production timeline, he summarized the company view plainly: "Our oil production could go back to 70% of normal level in 6-8 weeks, one month more for remaining 30%."
The company statement establishes a phased recovery scenario tied directly to the reopening of the maritime route. The remarks differentiate between the speed of recovery for crude output and that for refining operations, with refineries expected to normalize earlier.
While specific operational steps or logistical details were not provided, the timelines given by Kuwait Petroleum Company set expectations for a staggered restoration of capacity: an initial return to a majority of output within two months, followed by a subsequent month to reclaim full upstream capacity, and a faster return to normal for refining within a fortnight to three weeks.
What this means
- Kuwait Petroleum Company projects about 70% of oil production restored within 6-8 weeks after the Strait of Hormuz reopens, with the remaining 30% requiring an additional month.
- Refinery operations are expected to resume normal production quicker, estimated at roughly 2-3 weeks after the crisis ends.
- The comments were made by Shaikh Khaled Ahmad Al-Sabah at the S&P Global Energy Middle East Petroleum and Gas Conference.
Context and limitations
The timeline is conditional on the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the cessation of the ongoing crisis affecting the waterway. The company did not provide further operational details or contingency measures in its public remarks.