Kuwait halts marine navigation due to sand storm

Kuwaiti Authorities have halted marine navigation due to low visibility caused by a sand storm gripping the country, Ports Authority announced on Wednesday. Suleiman Al-Yahyia, in charge of marine operations at Al-Shuwaikh Port, said in a statement that the halt of the movement of vessels to and from the Kuwaiti ports was necessary for safety of the ships and the piers. The navigation will resume once the weather has been improved, he affirms. Visibility has reached half a mile and wind speed 40 km/h, levels that hamper the navigation, he affirmed. Sea operations at Al-Shuaiba port were also stopped due to the same causes, said Toufic Shehab, the assistant director of the marine operations at the harbor. He also indicated that the measure was temporary. The country has recently witnessed an unprecedented sand storm that ebbed visibility, paralyzed daily activities and caused death of at least four persons.