Production capacity at Baiji refinery to reach 280,000 bpd, says Iraq oil ministry

Iraqi Oil Minister Ihsan Abdul Jabbar ordered that production capacity at the Sumood refinery in Baiji be increased to 280,000 barrels per day (bpd) as soon as possible, the ministry said on Saturday.

Production capacity is currently at 75,000 bpd and expected to reach 140,000 bpd over the coming few months, the ministry said in a statement.

On August 18, Abdul Jabbar said an agreement was reached with Norwegian shipbuilder Batservice Mandal over the construction of two oil tankers with capacity of 30,000 tons each.

The tankers will be delivered in 18 months and are part of the ministry’s efforts to rebuild an Iraqi tanker fleet that has been depleted during decades of war, the minister said in a statement.