Iraq oil exports drop in December amid ongoing national unrest

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Oil exports in Iraq dropped in December amid ongoing national unrest across the country, a spokesperson for the oil ministry said on Thursday.

According to spokesperson Asim Jihad, Iraqi oil exports fell to 3.428 million barrels per day (bpd) last month compared to 3.5 million bpd in November.

At Iraq’s southern Basra terminals, oil exports reached 3.326 million bpd in December, a slight drop from the 3.4 million bpd posted in November, Jihad added.

Iraq’s Oil Ministry previously said a lockdown at the Nassiriya oilfield by protesters would not affect the country’s production and export operations.

Read More: Nassiriya shutdown will not affect Iraq’s production, exports: Oil Ministry

An oil ministry statement last week said Iraq would rely on “additional output from southern oilfields in Basra” to make up for the “temporary” losses at Nassiriya.

The Nassiriya oilfield produces 90,000 barrels of oil per day (bpd).

Although protesters have blocked entrances to oilfields and key ports during Iraq’s nationwide protests, the Nassiriya shutdown marks the first instance where they have closed an entire facility.

Iraq has been engulfed in anti-government protests for nearly three months now, where over 500 people have been killed in clashes between security forces and demonstrators, and thousands of others injured.

The protests in Iraq reflect widespread dissatisfaction with the economy, availability of jobs, the dismal state of public services, and widespread government corruption.

Demonstrators demand that the next prime minister be independent and someone who has never held a ministerial position in successive governments.