diff --git a/ApplicationLibCode/FileInterface/RifOpmCommonSummary.cpp b/ApplicationLibCode/FileInterface/RifOpmCommonSummary.cpp
index 4c8227c1aa..6b411262b9 100644
--- a/ApplicationLibCode/FileInterface/RifOpmCommonSummary.cpp
+++ b/ApplicationLibCode/FileInterface/RifOpmCommonSummary.cpp
@@ -111,7 +111,10 @@ bool RifOpmCommonEclipseSummary::open( const QString& fileName, bool includeRest
             {
                 auto temporarySummaryFile = std::make_unique<Opm::EclIO::ESmry>( smspecFileName.toStdString(), includeRestartFiles );
 
-                temporarySummaryFile->make_esmry_file();
+                if ( temporarySummaryFile->numberOfTimeSteps() > 0 )
+                {
+                    temporarySummaryFile->make_esmry_file();
+                }
 
                 RifOpmCommonEclipseSummary::increaseEsmryFileCount();
             }
@@ -214,15 +217,22 @@ void RifOpmCommonEclipseSummary::buildMetaData()
 
     if ( m_enhancedReader )
     {
-        keywords                   = m_enhancedReader->keywordList();
-        startOfSimulation          = m_enhancedReader->startdate();
-        daysSinceStartOfSimulation = m_enhancedReader->get( "TIME" );
+        keywords          = m_enhancedReader->keywordList();
+        startOfSimulation = m_enhancedReader->startdate();
+
+        if ( m_enhancedReader->numberOfTimeSteps() > 0 )
+        {
+            daysSinceStartOfSimulation = m_enhancedReader->get( "TIME" );
+        }
     }
     else if ( m_standardReader )
     {
-        keywords                   = m_standardReader->keywordList();
-        startOfSimulation          = m_standardReader->startdate();
-        daysSinceStartOfSimulation = m_standardReader->get( "TIME" );
+        keywords          = m_standardReader->keywordList();
+        startOfSimulation = m_standardReader->startdate();
+        if ( m_standardReader->numberOfTimeSteps() > 0 )
+        {
+            daysSinceStartOfSimulation = m_standardReader->get( "TIME" );
+        }
     }
 
     const auto   startAsTimeT    = std::chrono::system_clock::to_time_t( startOfSimulation );
diff --git a/ApplicationLibCode/UnitTests/TestData/SummaryData/empty-file/BLASTO_PRED-19.SMSPEC b/ApplicationLibCode/UnitTests/TestData/SummaryData/empty-file/BLASTO_PRED-19.SMSPEC
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..5e7d5ef53b
Binary files /dev/null and b/ApplicationLibCode/UnitTests/TestData/SummaryData/empty-file/BLASTO_PRED-19.SMSPEC differ
diff --git a/ApplicationLibCode/UnitTests/TestData/SummaryData/empty-file/BLASTO_PRED-19.UNSMRY b/ApplicationLibCode/UnitTests/TestData/SummaryData/empty-file/BLASTO_PRED-19.UNSMRY
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..53ce7ac5ec
Binary files /dev/null and b/ApplicationLibCode/UnitTests/TestData/SummaryData/empty-file/BLASTO_PRED-19.UNSMRY differ
diff --git a/ApplicationLibCode/UnitTests/opm-summary-Test.cpp b/ApplicationLibCode/UnitTests/opm-summary-Test.cpp
index 5c9b6ab0a6..88abcce1c0 100644
--- a/ApplicationLibCode/UnitTests/opm-summary-Test.cpp
+++ b/ApplicationLibCode/UnitTests/opm-summary-Test.cpp
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 #include "opm/io/eclipse/ExtESmry.hpp"
 
 #include <QDebug>
+#include <QFile>
 
 static const QString H5_TEST_DATA_DIRECTORY = QString( "%1/h5-file/" ).arg( TEST_DATA_DIR );
 
@@ -295,6 +296,20 @@ TEST( OpmSummaryTests, OpmComputeSegmentTopology )
     }
 }
 
+TEST( OpmSummaryTests, OpenEmptySummaryFile )
+{
+    QString SUMMARY_TEST_DATA_DIRECTORY = QString( "%1/SummaryData/empty-file/" ).arg( TEST_DATA_DIR );
+    QString rootPath                    = SUMMARY_TEST_DATA_DIRECTORY + "BLASTO_PRED-19";
+    QString smspecFilePath              = rootPath + ".SMSPEC";
+
+    Opm::EclIO::ESmry eSmry( smspecFilePath.toStdString() );
+
+    // Test to verify that is is possible to read an empty summary file
+    // eSmry.make_esmry_file() will fail if the summary file is empty
+
+    EXPECT_TRUE( eSmry.numberOfTimeSteps() == 0 );
+}
+
 //--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 ///
 //--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------