Grand Faw Port Plans "Ready Within the Year"
The Iraqi Transport Ministry said on Wednesday that the designs for Grand al-Faw port will be ready in less than a year. AKnews reports that the statements said that all the necessary preparations have been made to initiate the construction of the port including the financial allocations and the technical and engineering staffing. Iraq announced […]
Italy's Saipem Wins $472m Iraq Contract
Reuters reports on Wednesday that Iraq has awarded a $472 million contract for an oil export facility expansion and sub-sea pipeline to the Italian group Saipem, a subsidiary of oil group Eni. Saipem will build a single point mooring buoy (SPM) with an export capacity of 900,000 barrels per day and construct a 50-kilometre pipeline […]
New Iraqi Mobile Phone Licences Expected Next Week
The Iraqi Communications Ministry announced on Tuesday that it will launch the fourth round of licensing for mobile phone companies next week. According to the report from AKnews, the licences will be granted next week but any agreements will have to be confirmed by the cabinet. A statement from Communications Minister, Mohammed Allawi, said that […]
DNO Shares Up on Strong Results
Shares in DNO International closed up more than 11% on Wednesday after the company announced strong performance in the second quarter of 2011 with a working interest production of 48,582 barrels of oil per day (bopd), doubling of the reserves at the Tawke field and good financial performance. Sales recognized in the second quarter this […]
Last Call for UK Exhibitors at Erbil Trade Fair
The UK's Middle East Association (MEA), in partnership with UK Trade & Investment, Invest Northern Ireland and the Kurdistan Regional Government, will be leading a Trade Delegation to Iraqi Kurdistan from 23rd to 28th October to coincide with the seventh Erbil International Trade Fair, Iraq’s largest general trade exhibition. Mission Participants will have the opportunity […]
Weekly Security Update for 17th August 2011
Up until Monday, the past week was turning into one of the quietest so far this year, but then a series of mass casualty attacks swept the country, leaving dozens of people dead and injured. Provincial government buildings and security force installations and patrols were the most common targets of the attacks, although civilians were […]
Oil and Security
Iraq’s oil wealth is massive, with significant economic potential for years to come. Unfortunately, development is being hampered by endemic violence and ongoing instability. However, the main reserves are not evenly distributed around the country and neither is the violence. By avoiding the violent hotspots companies can still make significant profits with minimal exposure to […]
Baker Hughes, Lukoil, Sign $160m Iraq Deal
Baker Hughes will drill 23 new wells in Iraq’s largest oil field, West Qurna 2, after signing a contract with Russia’s second largest oil company, Lukoil. Baker Hughes will use five rigs using advanced technology to drill the wells to a depth exceeding 4,000 meters, the statement said. "Drilling will begin in the fourth quarter of […]
Iraq's 'Garden of Eden' an Agricultural Disaster Waiting to Happen
According to this report from NIQASH, many believe the original Garden of Eden, as described in both the Koran and Bible, is located in Basra. Increasingly though climate change, water shortages and urban sprawl mean Basra’s farmers are coming to doubt that story. War and conflict have led to the loss of many farms and […]
Replacement Chaos in the Iraqi Parliament (II)
The following article was published by Reidar Visser, an historian of Iraq educated at the University of Oxford and currently based at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs. It is reproduced here with the author’s permission. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. […]
Insurance in Iraq: Risk and Reward
The risks of working in or supporting the upstream oil and gas industry in Iraq are widespread and significant. From security and logistics to government bureaucracy, there are barriers to business that executives at many companies with a role to play in developing Iraq's oil and gas sector feel could be insurmountable. William Wakeham, CEO […]
Iraq May Refer Kuwait's New Port to UN
Al-Iraqiya television has reported that Iraq is threatening to take the case of Kuwait's Mubarak al-Kabir Port to the United Nations if the harbour violates its maritime rights. An Iraqi Technical Delegation, led by the government’s Advisor, Thamer al-Ghadban, reportedly arrived in Kuwait on Sunday for a 2-day official visit. Bloomberg reports that Prime Minister […]