Head Named for New Oil Firm in Southern Iraq

11 September 2008 Iraqi Oil Minister Hussein al-Shahristani has named Ali Muarij, a petroleum engineer from southern Iraq, director-general of Missan Oil Co. (MOC), the first regional operating company to be set up since Iraq National Oil Co. was dismantled in 1987, Iraqi sources told International Oil Daily from Baghdad Wednesday. The cabinet in June approved the creation of MOC to operate all oil fields in Missan province in southern…

Iraq OKs Preliminary Gas Deal With Shell

9 September 2008 The Iraqi cabinet on Sunday approved a preliminary gas deal between Royal Dutch and South Gas Co. (SGC), giving the green light for detailed negotiations on a final deal expected next year, Iraqi and industry sources said. The deal is a nonbinding heads of agreement (HOA) to establish a joint venture to gather and process associated gas now being flared from Basrah region oil fields in the…

Iraq Gets Down to Work on Refineries

21 July 2008 Iraq’s Daura refinery should commission a new 70,000 barrel per day crude distillation unit at the end of the year, raising capacity to 160,000 b/d, Midland Refineries Director-General Dathar al-Khashab told International Oil Daily last week. It will be the first addition to the refinery, near Baghdad, since the US-led invasion in 2003. A contract for a second crude distillation unit, awarded like the first one to…

Iraq to Set Up Second Regional Oil Firm

18 July 2008 Iraq plans to push ahead with development of oil fields in the Nassiriyah area of southern Iraq in the next few years in order to achieve the 100,000 barrels per day of production set as the benchmark for establishing a regional oil company, Oil Minister Hussein al-Shahristani says. The company would be similar to the one recently announced for Missan, also in the south. “We are speeding…