Oil Production at Fields in Southern Iraq Fell by More Than Half
Oil production in Iraq’s main oil-producing region — the southern province of Basra — has decreased from 3.3 million barrels per day to 1.3 million barrels per day amid escalation in the region, the newspaper As-Sabah reported, citing data from the Iraqi state company Basra Oil Company.
“Production has now stabilized at the level of 1.3 million barrels per day in accordance with the directive of the federal Ministry of Oil, whereas before the armed escalation in the Persian Gulf it stood at 3.3 million barrels per day,” said Deputy General Director Kazem Abd al-Hasan Karim.
According to him, the recent drone attack on the Al-Burjusiya area in Basra province caused no direct damage to fields or oil facilities. The decision of several foreign oil companies, including Eni and BP, to evacuate their specialists does not mean a halt in their operations at the Zubair, Rumaila, and other fields, he added.
“Constant communication is maintained with local and foreign crews to ensure the continuation of production,” Karim noted.
According to him, the ports of Basra, including the largest Umm Qasr, are operating normally, and the company is ready to fulfill its export oil shipment obligations, with export volumes depending only on the availability of tankers ready to receive cargo.
Earlier on Monday, head of Iraq’s ports Farhan al-Fartusi said that no commercial vessel, including tankers, had entered Iraq’s ports after shipping through the Strait of Hormuz was suspended.
The United States and Israel on February 28 began striking facilities in Iran, including in Tehran, with reports of destruction and civilian casualties. Iran is carrying out retaliatory strikes on Israeli territory, as well as on U.S. military facilities in the Middle East.
The escalation around Iran has led to the effective blockage of the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global supplies of oil and liquefied natural gas from the Persian Gulf countries, and has also affected the level of oil exports and production in the region.
