Reversing A Trend

Basrah – On the face of it and just listening to Iraqi oil officials describing their new ventures in Rumaila, it would appear as if BP is revolutionizing the way oil is produced in Iraq’s biggest and oldest fields. In reality, much of the work underway aims at reversing the trend of continuous malpractice imposed by years of war and sanctions. This covers all aspects of the production process from…

CNPC Lands Service Contract for Iraq’s Al-Ahdab Oil Field

12 November 2008 State China National Petroleum Corp. (CNPC) is set to start work immediately on its 20-year service contract to develop Al-Ahdab oil field in central Iraq following a formal signing Monday in Baghdad, making it the first company to break ground in Iraq’s oil sector since the 2003 US-led war there. The deal was signed by CNPC head Jiang Jiemin and the director general of State Oil Marketing…

Iraq Awards Studies for Top Reservoirs

18 January 2005 Iraq’s oil ministry has awarded contracts for reservoir studies at its giant Kirkuk and Rumaila oil fields to UK major BP and UK-based Exploration Consultants Ltd. (ECL), a senior Iraqi official said Friday. Royal Dutch/Shell will also play a supporting role to the oil ministry on the Kirkuk study under a technical service agreement, the official added — which will include the Anglo-Dutch major financing that field’s…

Iraq Builds Modern Database After Sanctions, Chaos

7 July 2005 Regardless of its official name, Iraq Oil Exploration Co. (IOEC) has done little in the way of exploration for the past 15 years — and is unlikely to start exploring the country’s vast areas anytime soon, in the absence of seismic equipment and trained staff. However, since the collapse of the Baath regime in 2003, the company has been focusing on building a modern National Data Center…