Massive fire breaks out at oil field in southern Iraq
BAGHDAD, 3 days ago
Iraqi Ministry of Oil has announced that it has managed to control the massive blaze that broke out in an oil field in the south of the country on Friday.
The fire started in a tank at the fifth station within the giant North Rumaila Oil Field in the southern Iraqi province of Basra, injuring three people.
The large fire has temporarily taken about 120,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude production offline and caused minor injuries to some personnel, stated Iraq Oil Report citing senior officials.
A total of 60 wells were taken offline in response to a storage tank fire, it added.
The Rumaila field, located specifically near the border with Kuwait, is one of the largest oil fields in the world, with estimated oil reserves of 17 billion barrels.
The Basra Oil Company, which manages the facility, said maintenance work had just been completed at the plant.
In its press statement, Basra Oil Company said "The fire broke out due to technical reasons that have yet to be determined. As soon as the fire was reported, emergency teams were dispatched to the scene and succeeded in extinguishing it."
The plant will be restored to operation after safety measures are confirmed and damage is assessed, it added.
