Iraq's State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO) has issued a statement suggesting it will take legal action against companies exporting crude oil without dealing with the central government, including the confiscation of cargoes and the filing of lawsuits against sellers, buyers and transporters. The statement reads as follows: "In accordance with the provisions of Laws No. […]
By John Lee. A member of Iraq's Oil and Energy parliamentary committee has said that the Ministry of Electricity has taken over the task of inspecting the fuel used in electricity stations from the Ministry of Oil's State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO). Suzan al-Saad told AIN that there have been problems with the quality of […]
By John Lee. Reuters reports that top oil trader Vitol has apologised to the Iraqi government for buying Kurdish oil that was exported via Turkey without Baghdad's permission. Iraqi Oil Minister Abdul-Kareem Luaibi [Elaibi] said on in Vienna: "In terms of Vitol, they have cancelled the Kurdish amount and they apologised officially ... As for […]
By John Lee. Reuters reports that oil exports from Iraqi Kurdistan have halved to around 100,000 bpd in recent days. An Iraqi oil official said on Monday that the Kurdistan Regional Government had told Baghdad's State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO) that exports were reduced because operators were "facing some technical problems that will take some […]
By John Lee. Reuters reports that LUKoil, Russian’s biggest non-state oil producer, which is believed to be considering buying ExxonMobil's stake in the West Qurna-1 oil field, has bought oil from Kurdistan in defiance of Baghdad. Baghdad has long insisted it has the sole right to export oil, but LUKoil's Geneva-based trading arm Litasco has […]
By John Lee. Iraq's State Oil Marketing Organisation (SOMO) has finalised a deal to buy up to 1.097 million tonnes of gasoil for delivery next year from BP and Swiss trader Vitol, according to Reuters. The company has agreed to pay a premium of $7.99 a barrel above Middle East quotes on a delivered basis, […]
By John Lee. WorleyParsons has been awarded a $90m contract extension by BP Iraq NV, and its partners PetroChina and Iraq's State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO), to continue providing engineering, procurement and management services to boost production from the super-giant Rumaila oilfield in Southern Iraq. In November 2009, BP and its partners entered into a […]
By John Lee. Iraq’s oil exports rose to an average of 2.565 million bpd in August, up from 2.516 million bpd in July, the highest level in two decades (according to NINA), or highest in three decades (according to Reuters). Spokesman for the Ministry of Oil, Asem Jihad, said that Iraq's daily export of oil […]
Iraq’s State Oil Marketing Organisation (SOMO) has adjusted its official selling prices for its Basra Light and Kirkuk crude grades for June. In common with some other countries, Iraq’s oil is priced relative to regional benchmark prices: For shipments to US, contracts are priced are relative to the Argus Sour Crude Index (ASCI); Shipments to […]
Iraq's crude oil exports averaged 2.508 million bpd in April, the highest level in decades, the head of the State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO) has announced. The figure was up 8.3 percent on March's 2.317 million bpd, Falah al-Amri told Bloomberg. Oil sales in April generated $8.8 billion in revenue from a total of 75.25 […]
Iraq’s State Oil Marketing Organisation (SOMO) has adjusted its official selling prices for its Basra Light and Kirkuk crude grades for May. In common with some other countries, Iraq’s oil is priced relative to regional benchmark prices: For shipments to US, contracts are priced are relative to the Argus Sour Crude Index (ASCI); Shipments to […]
The Iraqi Oil Ministry announced on Sunday that it sdecided to implement a deal made with Jordan in August to raise the level of oil production to between 10,000 and 15,000 bpd. Falah al-Amiri, the Director General of SOMO, the State Oil Marketing Organization, told AKnews that the Iraqi government decided to form a committee […]
