Name: Arabian Gulf fields (also known as Persian Gulf fields)
Controlled by: Ministry of Oil (Baghdad).
Location: The area of the exploration block is 400 km², within Iraqi Territorial waters, according to the Petroluem Contracts and Licensing Directorate (PCLD); on announcement of the results of the licensing round, the Ministry of Oil said it has an area of 660 square kilometers, distributed as follows: Land area: 106 square kilometers. Area in the waters of the Arabian Gulf: 554 square kilometers.
The first offshore project in Iraq
Discovery: Initial assessment suggested that the block holds gas accumulations.
Status: The block was offered in the "Fifth-plus" licensing round, May 2024, but no bids were received. (Had previously been offered, but not awarded, in the fifth licensing round in April 2018.)
The area has been investigated by China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) - see here, here and here.
For latest news on the project please click here.
A full list of oil and gas fields controlled by the Ministry of Oil in Baghdad can be found here.