Kuwait has decided to permanently shut down its heavy oil cracking unit at its Shuaiba refinery, reported Trade Arabia. Shuaiba is Kuwait’s smallest refinery, enjoying a capacity of only 200,000b/d, but has nonetheless been operating at below full capacity since the unit was shut down in August following a fire out-break. This led to a shortfall in gasoil sales of around 50,000b/d for the Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC).

According to the Kuwait Times, the final closure will take place in April 2017, citing KNPC’s spokesman, Khalid Al-Asousi. He also explained that closing the unit would free up more crude oil for export by Kuwait Petroleum Corp. (KPC).

The refinery’s products include gas, diesel, and high-octane gasoline, mostly earmarked for export themselves. Shuaiba is located about 50 km south of Kuwait City. No one was injured during the fire, said Al-Arabiya in August 2015.