KUWAIT CITY, 16 March 2003 — An oil well blew out yesterday in the partitioned neutral zone (PNZ) shared by Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, Kuwaiti oil sources said.
“Well WW-63 blew out of control earlier today in the Wafra field, located on the Kuwaiti side of the PNZ,” they said. “Emergency teams have responded and a major incident has been declared,” the sources from the field confirmed.
Well control specialists have been trying to keep the gusher from igniting, the sources said. No injuries have so far been reported.
It was noted that a rig had recently been moved off well WW-63 after the completion of “work-over” operations.
Kuwait Oil Company and Saudi Arabian Texaco jointly manage operations on the onshore PNZ which is currently producing around 345,000 barrels a day.
