Iraqi Drilling Firm Gets a Makeover

23 July 2008 State Iraq Drilling Co. (IDC), one of 14 oil firms under oil ministry supervision, is setting up a joint venture with UK-based Mesopotamia Petroleum Co. (MPC) to carry out drilling services in Iraq, Iraqi officials told International Oil Daily in Baghdad last week. IDC is meanwhile upgrading its rig fleet, buying 19 new rigs that should start arriving in September, the officials said. Oil Minister Hussein al-Shahristani…

Iraq to Set Up Second Regional Oil Firm

18 July 2008 Iraq plans to push ahead with development of oil fields in the Nassiriyah area of southern Iraq in the next few years in order to achieve the 100,000 barrels per day of production set as the benchmark for establishing a regional oil company, Oil Minister Hussein al-Shahristani says. The company would be similar to the one recently announced for Missan, also in the south. “We are speeding…

Iraq Gears up for Bid Round Road Show

17 July 2008 Iraq is gearing up to conduct a road show for its first bid round since the US-led invasion of 2003, announced at the end of June, and expects to launch a second round before the end of the year, Oil Minister Hussein al-Shahristani told International Oil Daily in an interview in Baghdad Wednesday. He added that technical support contracts (TSC) for five producing fields could still be…

Iraq to Invite Firms to Direct Talks

15 July 2008 The Iraqi cabinet has decided to establish a new body to speed up the award of contracts for strategic projects, including in the oil sector, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki told International Oil Daily in an interview in Baghdad Monday. It will invite companies directly to compete for and negotiate one type of yet-to-be-determined model contract, even if the long-awaited hydrocarbon law has still to be adopted,…