By Ahmed Mousa Jiyad. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Debating SOMO Transformation New important developments pertaining to or initiated by Iraq's State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO) surfaced during the last few months; they seemed to be integrated components of what was […]
By John Lee. Iraq is considering changing its price benchmark for Basra crude oil sales to Asia. From January, the State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO) proposes to price relative to Dubai Mercantile Exchange (DME) Oman futures, rather than the average of Platts’ Oman-Dubai quotes. According to a report from Reuters, this would mark a significant […]
By John Lee. The head of the State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO) has reportedly suggested that Iraq is interested in creating an oil price hedging program that would lock in prices for future trades far in advance. Falah Al Amri is quoted as saying: “We will not rush. This is a long process ... We […]
By John Lee. Reuters reports that following the setting up a new oil trading firm with Lukoil subsidiary Litasco, the State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO) is considering setting up similar ventures in shipping and oil storage. The news agency quotes the head of SOMO, Falah Alamri, as telling the CWC Iraq Petroleum Conference: “The idea is […]
By John Lee. Iraq's State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO) and Russia's Litasco — Lukoil‘s international marketing and trading arm — have set up a joint oil trading company in Dubai. A source told Reuters that the new venture, LIMA Energy, is building a team to work at the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) to trade […]
By John Lee. Iraq's State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO) and Russia's Lukoil have formed a joint venture to market crude oil. In a statement, the Iraqi Oil Ministry said Litasco -- Lukoil‘s international marketing and trading arm -- would help sell Iraqi crude and train Iraqi staff in marketing. (Source: Ministry of Oil)
By John Lee. The Director of the State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO), Falah al-Amiri, has told reporters that crude oil exports so far in March average 3.756 million bpd, including 515,000 bpd exported by Iraqi Kurdistan. According to Reuters, Iraq's oil production is down by more than 300,000 bpd, to 4.464 million (bpd), due to OPEC […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
