The pipeline leak has led to an estimated 400,000-450,000 b/d fall in output from the Rumaila North reservoir in recent days. This is part of the giant Rumaila oil field, which has been producing up to 1.4mn b/d since a BP/CNPC consortium began work under its long-term service contract, though output had declined slightly to 1.3mn b/d before the latest pipeline issue. Other southern fields are also reportedly affected by the stoppage of oil flow to the Zubair tank farms, highlighting the infrastructure constraints to achieving targeted production levels.
MEES understands that the problem is with the pipeline to the Zubair storage tank farms and is possibly related to the shutdown of loading facilities at Basra to install the metering platform after work commenced on September 12. It is unclear if the pipeline rupture will have had an impact on production from the Misan fields, which include Bazergan, Abu-Gharb, Fakka and the 100,000 b/d Halfaya field. (CONTINUED - 3592 WORDS)
