SOMO launches tender to sell Iraqi oil outside the Strait of Hormuz
SOMO launches tender to sell Iraqi oil outside the Strait of Hormuz
2026-08-27
Shafaq News – Follow-up
Iraq’s State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO) issued a tender on Thursday to sell shipments of Basra crude for loading in September from outside the Strait of Hormuz, in the company’s second tender this week, against the backdrop of regional events and the closure of the strait to maritime navigation.
According to a document from SOMO and trade sources who spoke to Reuters, the tender includes shipments that can be loaded via tanker-to-tanker transfers near the Omani coast, with the tender closing on August 28.
The new tender differs from the one issued by SOMO on Monday, as the first tender included shipments to be loaded from the oil terminal in Basra, requiring buyers to charter tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. The first tender closed yesterday, Wednesday.
This move comes amid continued disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a key passage for oil exports from the Gulf region, and the resulting challenges to Iraqi crude shipments.
Iran’s official news agency reported last Saturday that Tehran had granted permits to a number of Iraqi oil tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, in response to repeated requests from Baghdad through various channels.
Sumo usually does not comment on commercial deals.
shafaq.com
