Oil production suspended at Iraq’s largest oil field
Oil production suspended at Iraq’s largest oil field
2026-03-03 04:26
Shafaq News – Basra
Well-informed local sources reported on Tuesday that oil production has stopped in Iraq’s largest oil field, and the second largest oil field in the world, due to the military escalation in the Middle East.
A source told Shafaq News Agency that “oil production operations in all wells of the Rumaila oil field have completely stopped.”
He added that “the decision to halt operations came as a result of the disruption of export operations, which were affected by the ongoing military operations in the region, leading to an expansion of storage within the oil fields and the filling of tanks.”
He explained that “the halt in exports caused the quantities of stored oil to rise to record levels, which prompted the concerned authorities to temporarily stop production until the situation stabilizes and shipping operations resume.”
In this context, a document issued by the Basra Oil Company showed a directive to the Rumaila Field Operations Authority to reduce production and pumping by 100% starting at 3:00 PM on March 3, 2026.
According to the text of the letter issued by the company’s operations department, which was received by Shafaq News Agency, the decision came as a result of “extremely dangerous international political events,” and the resulting closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which led to the disruption of international navigation and the reluctance of oil tankers to enter the Gulf basin.
The book indicated that this caused a shortage of tankers in the southern ports and halted loading in some warehouses, which led to the rise of stockpiles in oil tanks to critical levels.
The document concluded with a request to reduce production and pumping from the entire Rumaila South field, effective from the time indicated.
shafaq.com
