Opec member Kuwait has temporarily halted oil export operations due to bad weather, a spokesman for the oil sector said on Wednesday.

Kuwait Oil Company, the state-owned firm that produces the bulk of Kuwait's crude, has halted all crude oil exports but its drilling operations have not been affected, Sheikh Talal al-Khaled al-Ahmad al-Sabah said in a statement sent to journalists.

Kuwait National Petroleum Company, which operates the Gulf Arab state's refineries, has also temporarily stopped exports and some refinery maintenance work.

Supplies to local customers have not been disrupted.

Weather-related delays to Kuwaiti oil shipments are not uncommon at this time of the year but rarely have a significant effect on export or production volumes.

Kuwait produced 2.42 million barrels per day of crude oil in March, according to a Reuters survey.-Reuters