Iraq on the threshold of a historic change in the sale of oil
Iraq on the threshold of a historic change in the sale of oil
2017/8/21 12:20
The Iraqi Oil Marketing Company (SOMO) has informed its customers that it intends to change the benchmark price of Basrah crude in Asia to the price of Omani crude oil futures on the Dubai Mercantile Exchange from the average price of Dubai and Oman crude on the Platts platform, Of January 2018.
The proposed change represents a major shift from OPEC’s second-largest producer, Iraq, to the norm for decades, along with other members of the Organization such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iran, based on the ratings of Standard & Poor’s Global Plats for pricing their raw materials. This will apply to about two million barrels of crude per day or nearly two-thirds of Iraqi crude exports from the southern port of Basra.
“The Iraqis are likely to have a benchmark,” said a Singapore oil trader, referring to Saudi Arabia’s role in setting prices in the region.
Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest exporter of crude, has set a pricing trend for Iranian, Kuwaiti and Iraqi oil, affecting more than 12 million barrels of crude destined for Asia per day.
Commercial sources said Somo’s speech would launch a consultation round between the company and its customers, adding details of the possible change were still unclear.
Since April, Iraq has been selling a shipment or two of Basra’s crude per month through an auction platform on the Dubai Mercantile Exchange as a way to explore the price.
The Dubai Mercantile Exchange (DME) launched the Oman Ore futures contract in 2007
alforatnews.com
