Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) has restarted a crude production facility after shutting the operation down amid a strike by Kuwaiti oil workers, according to an oil sector spokesman.

Talal Khaled al-Sabah was quoted by the official Kuwait News Agency (Kuna) as saying: “KOC early production facility 120 [EPF-120] resumed operation on Sunday evening [17 April], and work is in full swing to re-operate two KOC crude collection centres.”

EPF-120 produces crude from the Ratqa and Abdali fields, with a capacity of 120,000 barrels a day (b/d).

The strike, led by the Oil and Petrochemical Industries Workers Confederation, has entered its second day, with Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) running its facilities using non-Kuwaiti workers, contractors and by recalling retirees. Thousands of workers are striking against alleged public sector pay cuts.

The strike has caused the government to cut production of crude, refined products and natural gas. Oil output has dropped by more than half to 1.1 million b/d, from a previous average of 2.8 million b/d.