SOMO Says it is Sole Entity Allowed to Export Iraqi Crude Oil

Photo courtesy of SOMO website
Photo courtesy of SOMO website
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SOMO Says it is Sole Entity Allowed to Export Iraqi Crude Oil

Photo courtesy of SOMO website
Photo courtesy of SOMO website

Oil Marketing Company (SOMO) has announced that it is the sole entity that is legally authorized to export Iraqi crude oil.

“SOMO wishes to clarify to public opinion and those interested in the petroleum matters that SOMO is the sole and exclusive entity that is legally authorized to export Iraqi crude oil and its petroleum products,” it said in a statement on Saturday.

The company affirmed that Iraqi fuel oil product is being exported from the floating tanks exclusively (POLA & EVGENIA I) located at the Iraqi Territorial waters - anchorage area through the southern port.

“However, the announcement of the sale of fuel oil shipments by other parties as Iraqi-origin shipments is illegal, and these parties have to take full legal responsibility to be punished under Iraqi law, as these shipments are smuggled,” said the statement.

SOMO denied announcing the sale of a fuel oil shipment through the northern ports (Turkish territory), pledging to take all legal measures against any party involved in dealing with the shipments.



Kuwait's KPC CEO Says Oil Production Capacity Exceeds 3 Million Bpd 

A general view of Kuwait City buildings, Kuwait, December 23, 2024. (Reuters)
A general view of Kuwait City buildings, Kuwait, December 23, 2024. (Reuters)
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Kuwait's KPC CEO Says Oil Production Capacity Exceeds 3 Million Bpd 

A general view of Kuwait City buildings, Kuwait, December 23, 2024. (Reuters)
A general view of Kuwait City buildings, Kuwait, December 23, 2024. (Reuters)

Kuwait's oil production capacity now exceeds 3 million barrels per day, Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) CEO Sheikh Nawaf Saud al-Sabah told reporters on Tuesday.

The country's oil production capacity was at more than 2.8 million bpd in June last year, Ahmad Jaber Al-Eidan, the CEO of KPC subsidiary Kuwait Oil Company (KOC), said at the time.

Kuwait aims to boost its oil output to 4 million bpd by 2035, having previously missed a goal of reaching that level by 2020.

Commenting on US President Donald Trump's views on fossil fuels, Sheikh Nawaf said there is no alternative to oil as a primary source of energy, "neither now nor in the future".

"Perhaps this is what President Trump and officials in the United States have realized, that there must be continued exploration and production of oil, and this is what we reflect here in Kuwait. We know that demand for Kuwaiti oil will increase in the future."

Trump signed a flurry of orders within hours of his inauguration on Monday intended to boost the United States' already record-high oil and gas production.

Al-Eidan said KOC aims to reach "full production" from discovered offshore fields within eight to 10 years.

Of the 4 million bpd of oil production capacity Kuwait is targeting by 2035, 350,000 bpd of capacity is expected to come from an area called the Neutral Zone, jointly operated with Saudi Arabia.

Kuwait last year said it had made a "giant" oil discovery with estimated reserves of 3.2 billion barrels. It said on Monday it had found 800 million medium-density oil barrels and 600 billion standard cubic feet of associated gas offshore.

Sheikh Nawaf said Kuwait has completed engineering studies for the Durra gas field and is proceeding according to a plan agreed with Saudi Arabia.