Tag Archives | State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO)

The Truth behind Oil Theft in Basra

By Salam Zidane for Al Monitor. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. On Jan. 15, Iraqi members of parliament, including Sadeq al-Mhanna from the ruling National Alliance, revealed that they are in possession of documents that prove the theft of 300,000 barrels […]

IMF Reviews Progress in Iraq

The Iraqi authorities and the staff of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) held discussions in Baku, Azerbaijan from January 15–19, 2017 ahead of the second review of Iraq’s 36-month Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) that the IMF Executive Board approved on July 7, 2016 ( See Press Release No. 16/321). The first review under the SBA was […]

Iraq Resists Joining OPEC Production Cut

By John Lee. Reuters reports that oil prices came under pressure on Monday as Iraqi oil minister Jabar Ali al-Luaibi [Allibi] said Baghdad wants to be exempt from any production cut the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is aiming to achieve. Falah al-Amiri, head of the State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO) added that […]

Iraq to cut Basra Oil Exports in November

By John Lee. Reuters reports that Iraq plans to cut crude oil exports from its southern ports to 3.24 million bpd in November, down from the 3.28 million bpd planned for this month. According to data from a preliminary loading programme of the State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO), exports of Basra Light grade are expected […]

Iraq Oil Export Rate Up Again in Sept

By John Lee. The daily average volume of crude oil exported by Iraq's State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO) rose to 3.276 million barrels per day in September, compared with 3.230 million bpd in August, according to the Ministry of Oil. The total for the 30-day month was 98,285,239 barrels, down from the 100.1 million barrels exported […]

Aug Oil Output Revised Down, Still at Record Levels

By John Lee. Iraq's oil production in August has been revised down from 4.638 million bpd to 4.622 million bpd, according to a report from Platts. The latest estimate is still a 16,000 bpd increase from July, and is the fourth time Iraq has passed the 4.5 million bpd threshold. The State Oil Marketing Organization […]

Oil Minister meets head of Exxon Mobil Iraq

By John Lee. Iraqi oil minister, Jabbar al-Luaibi (Allibi), met with the head of Exxon Mobil Iraq, Paul Thiss, in his office on Wednesday to discuss cooperation and investment in the Iraqi energy sector. The Minister said Iraq is about to enter a new age of development of its oil and gas industry and is […]

Iraq, Kurdistan "Jointly Exporting Kirkuk Oil"

By John Lee. Trading sources have told Reuters that Baghdad's State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO) and Kurdistan have resumed joint exports of crude oil from the giant Kirkuk oil field. The field normally delivers 150,000 barrels per day via the Turkish port of Ceyhan (pictured). Exports have been suspended since March in a dispute over […]

Iraq may Sell Oil through Iran if talks with KRG Fail

By John Lee. Iraq would reportedly consider selling crude through Iran if talks with Iraqi Kurdistan on an oil revenue-sharing agreement fail. Deputy Oil Minister Fayadh al-Nema told Reuters that Iraq's State Oil Marketing Organisation (SOMO) plans to hold talks with the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG), possibly this week. He said "If the negotiations come […]

Iraq Boosts Oil Exports ahead of OPEC Meeting

By John Lee. Iraq plans to supply an additional 5 million barrels of crude oil to its partners in June, according to industry sources cited by Reuters. The country joins other Middle East producers in attempting to increase market share ahead of an OPEC meeting in Vienna later this week. Iraq had already been targeting […]

Iraq Confirms April Oil Export Data

By John Lee. The Iraqi Ministry of Oil has declared oil exports of 100.9 million barrels for April, which brought in revenues of 3.386 billion dollars, according to the final statistics of the State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO). This equates to an average selling price of $33.38 per barrel, and an export rate of 3.363 million […]