Market Review: Elections, the Economy and the Stock Market
By Ahmed Tabaqchali, CIO of Asia Frontier Capital (AFC) Iraq Fund. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Market Review: The Elections, the Economy and the Stock Market A key aspect of the Iraq investment opportunity is arbitraging the delta between real and […]
Rosneft Discovers Oil at Block 12
By John Lee. Bashneft, a subsidiary of Russia's Rosneft, has found oil at its Salman-1 exploratory well at Block 12 in Iraq. In a statement, the company said that an exploration well was successfully drilled to depth 4,277 metres; oil was found, "which gives grounds for expecting the discovery of industrial reserves". Rosneft said it […]
New Charges in Unaoil Investigation re $733m Contract
The UK's Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has brought further charges against two individuals facing trial in relation to the Unaoil investigation. Basil Al Jarah and Ziad Akle have both been charged with conspiracy to give corrupt payments to secure the award of a contract worth US$733 million to Leighton Contractors Singapore PTE Ltd for a […]
GKP receives New Payment from KRG
By John Lee. Gulf Keystone Petroleum (GKP) has confirmed that a gross payment of $18.8 million ($14.7 million net to GKP) has been received from the Kurdistan Regional Government for Shaikan crude oil sales during February 2018. (Source: GKP)
Ducorr completes Corrosion Protection work at Majnoon
By John Lee. Sharjah-based Ducorr has reportedly completed the design and deployment of a cathodic protection system for Shell’s Majnoon oil field. Construction Week Online quotes company sources as saying that the flowlines were buried in very corrosive soil, hence the need for protection. (Source: Construction Week Online)
HEESCO signs Contracts with 3 Int'l Firms
By John Lee. Iraq's Heavy Engineering Equipment State Company (HEESCO) has signed deals with three international companies in the oil, petrochemical and the marine industries: UK-based Weir Engineering Services; Czech-based KPS; Egyptian-based Petrojet. The company, established in 1963, has technological capabilities in the design, manufacturing and installation of the engineering equipment, such as the tanks, boilers, […]
Kuwait Energy may sell Block 9
By John Lee. Kuwait Energy has reportedly hired an investment bank to advise it on options that could include selling all or part of its Block 9 field in southern Iraq. Reuters says that Perella Weinberg Partners (PWP) will assist in creating liquidity and a cash buffer to repay debt. Discussions on a possible merger […]
Election leaves Iran Scrambling to Preserve Influence
By Ali Mamouri for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. The Sairoon (On the Move) Alliance formed by Muqtada al-Sadr and the Iraqi Communist Party is ahead in the preliminary results of the Iraqi elections. More than 90% of the votes in all of […]
Iraq Duty Free Responds to Allegations
Iraq Duty Free has responded to allegations regarding the renewal of its contract to run the duty free concessions at Baghdad and Basra airports in Iraq. According to the statement from its CEO, Ahmed Kamal, the owner of company has not been convicted of "any crime of punishment that deprives the freedom in Iraq." His […]
Colombo Dockyard to Build Two Vessels for Iraq
Sri Lanka's Colombo Dockyard PLC (CDPLC) has successfully secured a contract with Toyota Tsusho Corporation (TTC) of Japan to build two vessels; Pilot Station Vessel and Buoy Tender Vessel, for General Company for Ports of Iraq (GCPI). TTC and GCPI signed the Prime Contract on 27th April 2018 in Dubai. Subsequent to the signing of […]
Video: Al-Abadi will have to Negotiate his Future
From Al Jazeera. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. The vote dealt a blow to Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, whose Nasr alliance is trailing in third place. But with no group winning a majority, he could still be a major player. Al […]
Turkish Police Bust Iraq Car-Smuggling Gang
By John Lee. Five suspected members of an organized crime ring that was smuggling stolen cars into Iraq have reportedly been arrested in Turkey. Police detained three members of the gang, one of them a Greek national, at a customs office in Istanbul after they cleared a luxury Jaguar through customs. They later detained a […]