Iraq Oil Exports in July

Iraq's oil exports slipped slightly to 1.816 million bpd in July from 1.823 million bpd the month before, an Iraqi oil official said.

Iraq exported an average of 1.432 million bpd from the southern oil hub of Basra and 383,000 bpd from the northern oilfields around Kirkuk, including 10,000 bpd by trucks to Jordan, Oil Ministry spokesman Asim Jihad told Reuters.

The average selling price was about US$71.12 per barrel, he said. Exports from Basra, Iraq's main oil-exporting hub, can fluctuate widely due to weather conditions or technical problems, while repeated bomb attacks hampered crude flow from Kirkuk fields in recent months.

Falah al-Amri, head of the State Oil Marketing Organisation (SOMO), told Reuters earlier this month Iraq's crude exports in July averaged around 1.85 million bpd as a rise in domestic consumption and oilfield maintenance programme impeded exports. Iraqi oil production stands at around 2.5 million bpd, but oil pipelines and other facilities have been frequently targeted since the 2003 US-led invasion, choking off exports. Technical faults have also periodically cut flows.- Trade Arabia