Kuwait is battling to contain an oil spill which has led to the estimated loss of 35,000 barrels of crude near the joint field it shares with Saudi Arabia.

Reports suggest that the spill may have originated from a 50-km pipeline from Al-Khafji, while other suggest that it could be from a burst oil tanker.

The site of the oil spill is not far from the industrial site where Kuwait is building a 615,000-barrel a day (b/d) refinery at Zour.

Teams from US energy giant Chevron, which operates on both sides of the field have been called in to help clean-up the spill. UK firm Oil Spill Response Limited, which assists in such industrial accidents is also assisting with the clean-up.

Environmentalists in Kuwait have alleged that the spill took place a few days ago and have accused the government of suppressing news about the environmental disaster.

Kuwait is no stranger to oil spill disasters. During the 1990 Gulf War, retreating Iraqi forces set fire to oil fields in the same Divided Zone area. The massive environmental disaster, which saw Gulf skies blackened with soot has yet to be cleaned-up. Kuwait Oil Company recently tendered the project management contract to clean up ordnance and contaminated soils left as a result of the war.