Drilling Dilemma

Oil production in Iraqi oil fields in the south of the country is falling by an average of 7% per year. The problem: a high water cut that is forcing South Oil Co. (SOC) engineers to shut down wells one after the other. But as they lose the old wells in West Qurna, Rumaila, Zubair, Majnoon and Nahr Bin Umar, the drilling of new ones to replace them is not…

One Man’s Act

Should a national oil company play the role of a welfare state? In many countries around the region, national oil companies have done just that over the years. Saudi Aramco might be the prime example. From schools, to hospitals, to roads, Aramco’s footprints are all over the eastern province of Saudi Arabia. In Iraq, the absence of a national oil company since the dismantling of INOC in 1987 has pushed…