BAGHDAD -(Dow Jones)- Iraq has lost around $11.35 billion in damages to oil sector infrastructure and lost revenue since oil exports resumed after the war two years ago, an Iraqi oil ministry spokesman said Sunday.
Assem Jihad said there were 300 acts of sabotage against Iraqi oil installations since Iraq resumed exports in June 2003 until May 31 .
He said 70 acts of sabotage took place in the first five months of 2005.
Jihad said most of the sabotage took place in the northern oil installations preventing the country from exporting around 400,000 barrels a day from its northern oil fields via the Turkish port of Ceyhan.
Before the U.S.-led invasion in April 2003, Baghdad used to export 800,000 b/d from the North.
Iraq has resumed sporadic pumping of crude from Kirkuk oil fields to Ceyhan over the last six weeks.
It has exported around 2 million bbl in June and it sold 2.63 million bbl for loading July 1-10.
It also promised to sell 2 million bbl in July to Turkish refiner Tupras ( TUPRS.IS).
Iraqi oil exports from the southern part of the country have been running around 1.4 million b/d.
-By Hassan Hafidh, Dow Jones Newswires; +964 7901 912 214; hafidh8@hotmail.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
07-03-05 0821ET Copyright (c) 2005 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. Copyright (C) 2005 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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