Manama: Kuwait Ports Authority on Thursday suspended navigation at Shuwaikh port as visibility dropped to below one mile due to a sandstorm hitting the country.

Sulaiman Al Yahiya, Director of Marine Operations at the port, said that the suspension of the movement of vessels from and into the port was necessary to ensure the safety of the ships and the piers.

The navigation will resume once the weather improves, he said, in a statement carried by Kuwait News Agency (Kuna).

Three vessels were denied access to the port and two container ships were prevented from leaving due to the difficult conditions, he said.