Baghdad, Sept. 21 (SANA) Iraq’s Oil Ministry said Monday that the country’s crude oil exports averaged about 2.6 million barrels per day in September.
In a statement carried by the Iraqi News Agency (INA), the ministry responded to media reports claiming that Iraqi crude exports had reached 4 million barrels per day, saying that the figure was recorded for only one day.
The ministry said the one-day increase resulted from the State Organization for Marketing of Oil (SOMO) exporting a cargo outside the Strait of Hormuz aboard a tanker carrying Qayyarah crude, in addition to other quantities loaded for export and sale from southern ports and shipments through the northern export route according to loading schedules.
“Iraq’s average daily crude oil exports during September, up to the date of this statement, stood at about 2.6 million barrels per day,” the ministry said, adding that the figure could change depending on the actual export volumes during the remaining days of the month.
The ministry described the export level as a major achievement under current circumstances and amid the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz, saying it is working to maintain exports at the highest possible level to secure revenues for the state treasury.
On Sept. 6, Iraqi Oil Minister Bassem Mohammed Khudair announced that Iraq had raised its crude oil export capacity to 3 million barrels per day.
He also said the government plans to increase export capacity to 5 million barrels per day after completing strategic pipelines extending toward Fishkhabour and Syria’s Baniyas port, in addition to export outlets through the Strait of Hormuz.
N.J/R.K
