By John Lee.
Once a scene of bloody fighting during the Iran-Iraq war, Majnoon is now an oil field of vital economic importance for Iraq. Royal Dutch Shell's announcement marks a crucial step in its development since the discovery of the field in 1975.
After a lull in development during the sanctions era of the 1990s, the field saw a second life following Iraq's first major oil auctions in 2009, although clearing war time ordinance presented a major challenge to drilling operations.
Majnoon has been developed by the South Oil Co., Malaysia’s Petronas, and Missan Oil Co. and is currently producing 210,000 bpd. Hans Nijkamp, vice-president and chairman of Shell, spoke of the significance of the development since production was re-started 8 months ago
“The lifting of Shell’s first oil shipment from Majnoon has great significance to us and our partners in the [Iraqi] government as it is a testimony to our shared progress and signals the start of Majoon’s long-term journey toward generating further revenue for Iraq’s economy, and as an investment in Iraq’s future.”
(Source: Arab News)
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