Rumaila oil field

{{Infobox oilfield | name = Rumaila | country = Iraq | region = | location = Basra, Iraq | block = | offonshore = Onshore | location_map = Iraq | location_map_width = | location_map_text = | coordinates = {{coord|30.156112|N|47.407722|E|type:landmark_source:eowiki_region:IQ|display=inline,title}} | coordinates_ref = | relief = yes | operator = Rumaila Operating Organization | operators = | partners = {{plainlist|Technical Service Partners: *Basra Energy Company Ltd (BECL) comprising BP and CNPC *State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO)}} | owner = Basra Oil Company | image = | discovery = 1953 | start_development = | start_production = 1954 | peak_year = 1979 | abandonment = | oil_production_bbl/d = 1421000 | oil_production_tpy = | production_year_oil = 2022 | production_gas_mmcuft/d = | production_gas_mmscm/d = | production_gas_bcm/y = | production_year_gas = | est_oil_bbl = 17000 | est_oil_t = | est_gas_bft = | est_gas_bcm = | formations = Main Pay, Mishrif, Upper Shale, Bn Umer, 4th Pay }}

The '''Rumaila oil field''' is a super-giant oil field<ref>{{cite book|last=Beydoun|first=Ziad|title=The Middle East: Regional Geology and Petroleum Resources|year=1988|publisher=Scientific Press Ltd|location=Beaconsfield|isbn=978-0-901360-21-2|page=179}}</ref> located in southern Iraq, approximately 50km to the south west of Basra City.<ref name=mil>{{cite news | url=https://www.army.mil/article/40744/delegation-sees-iraq-oil-field-up-close/ | title= Delegation sees Iraq oil field up close | publisher= US Army | author = Master Sgt. David Bennett | date=2010-06-12 | access-date=2010-06-24}}</ref> Discovered in 1953 by the Basrah Petroleum Company (BPC), an associate company of the Iraq Petroleum Company (IPC),<ref name=":0">{{cite book|title=Iraq Petroleum Handbook|year=1948|publisher=IPC|location=London|page=141|url=http://almashriq.hiof.no/lebanon/300/380/388/ipc/ipc-hb-1948/index.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Vassiliou|first=Marius |author-link= Marius Vassiliou|title=Historical Dictionary of the Petroleum Industry|year=2009|publisher=Scarecrow Press, Inc|location=Plymouth, UK|isbn=978-0-8108-5993-7|page=272|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vArc08DO9ykC&q=ipc+rumaila+middle+east&pg=PA272}}</ref><ref name=":1">[{{GBurl|0Ug0GdmopWMC|p=471}} Page 471] in: {{cite book |doi=10.1016/B978-044482465-3/50011-5 |chapter=Hydrocarbon Habitat of the Middle East : An Overview |title=Sedimentary Basins and Petroleum Geology of the Middle East |date=2003 |last1=Alsharhan |first1=A.S. |last2=Nairn |first2=A.E.M. |pages=467–523 |isbn=978-0-444-82465-3 }}</ref> the field is estimated to contain 17 billion barrels, which accounts for 12% of Iraq's oil reserves, estimated at 143 billion barrels.<ref name="GT-DEX-2012-83">{{cite web|title=Iraq – Rumaila Oil Field (HVO IRQ-10) |url=http://www.ukti.gov.uk/export/countries/asiapacific/middleeast/iraq/businessopportunity/345360.html |work=ukti.gov.uk |access-date=22 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130521222321/http://www.ukti.gov.uk/export/countries/asiapacific/middleeast/iraq/businessopportunity/345360.html |archive-date=21 May 2013 }}</ref><ref name="GT-DEX-2010-65">{{cite web|title=Iraq increases oil reserves by 24% |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11468209|publisher=BBC|date=4 October 2010|access-date=22 August 2012}}</ref><ref name="GT-DEX-2010-66">{{cite web|title=Iraq Lifts Oil Reserves Estimate to 143 Billion Barrels, Overtakes Iran|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2010-10-04/iraq-lifts-oil-reserves-estimate-overtakes-iran-update1-.html|publisher=Bloomberg|date=4 October 2010|access-date=22 August 2012}}</ref> Rumaila is said to be the largest oilfield ever discovered in Iraq<ref>{{cite web|title=IBBC Members Profile – BP|url=http://www.webuildiraq.org/members-profiles/bp-iraq/|website=We Build Iraq|access-date=22 September 2016}}</ref> and one of the four largest oilfields in the world.<ref name=Forbes>{{cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/2010/01/21/biggest-oil-fields-business-energy-oil-fields.html |title=The World's Biggest Oil Reserves. Chances are your energy needs are going to flow from one of these 10 fields in the future |work=Forbes |author=Christopher Helman |date=2010-01-21 |access-date=2010-06-24 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130124020925/http://www.forbes.com/2010/01/21/biggest-oil-fields-business-energy-oil-fields.html |archive-date=2013-01-24 }}</ref>

Under Abdul-Karim Qasim, the oilfield was nationalised by the Iraqi government by Public Law No. 80 on 11 December 1961.<ref>{{cite book|last=Wolfe-Hunnicut|first=Brandon Roy|title=The End of the Concessionary Regime: Oil and American Power in Iraq, 1958–1972|year=2011|publisher=Stanford University|location=Ph.D dissertation|page=70|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zCDrHfPN9J4C&q=80&pg=PA78}}</ref> Since then, this massive oil field has remained under Iraqi control. The assets and rights of IPC were nationalized by Saddam Hussein in 1972, and those of BPC in 1975.<ref>Shwadran, Benjamin "[https://books.google.com/books?id=FqEOGhs_mzoC&dq=1973+basra+petroleum+company+nationalisation&pg=PA70 Middle East Oil: Issues and Problems]", ''Schenkman Publishing'', 1977.</ref> The dispute between Iraq and Kuwait over alleged slant-drilling in the field was one of the reasons for Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990.<ref name="GT-DEX-1990-01">{{cite news |last1=Hayes |first1=Thomas C |title=CONFRONTATION IN THE GULF; The Oilfield Lying Below the Iraq-Kuwait Dispute |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/09/03/world/confrontation-in-the-gulf-the-oilfield-lying-below-the-iraq-kuwait-dispute.html |work=The New York Times |date=3 September 1990 }}</ref><ref name="GT-DEX-1990-02">{{cite book|last=J. Murdico|first=Suzanne|title=The Gulf War: War and Conflict in the Middle East|date= 2003|publisher=The Rosen Publishing Group |isbn=978-0-8239-4551-1|pages=13, 68|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LhvOVjZuBjgC&pg=PA13}}</ref>

After decades of under investment, due to sanctions by the west, by the early 2000s, the field was suffering not only from the natural base decline of its reservoirs, but also from ageing infrastructure and equipment, compromising production capacity, environmental protection and safety.

The town of North Rumaila is called "the cemetery" by the locals. A local environmental scientist told the BBC in 2022 that cancer in the area was so rife it was "like the flu".<ref name=BBC1/>

Following the BBC story, the Rumaila Operating Organisation (ROO) has been reducing gas flaring from its operated facilities at Rumaila. This reduced by a further 20% during 2022 – contributing to a reduction of more than 65% over the past seven years.<ref>{{Cite web |date=16 February 2023 |title=bp responds to BBC story on Rumaila oilfield. |url=https://www.bp.com/en/global/corporate/news-and-insights/bp-responds-to-bbc-story-on-rumaila-oilfield.html#accordion_feb-23 |website=bp}}</ref>

==Ownership== The field is owned by Iraq (Basra Oil Company). Following bidding rounds in the first decade of the 2000s, a Technical Service Contract was signed between BOC and BP, PetroChina and the State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO) in 2009. This detailed the establishment of ROO as the operator of the oilfield and led to the introduction of new technologies and infrastructure, training and equipment for staff, and an extensive drilling and expansion programme.

In June 2022, Basra Energy Company Ltd (BECL), a company wholly owned by PetroChina and bp which manages the companies' interests at the Rumaila oilfield, assumed the lead contractor role from bp, under the existing Technical Services Contract. BECL was established to enable continued and optimized investment in the field, including enhanced access to external financing. ROO remained as the operator. The Technical Services Contract was extended in 2014 and now runs until 2034.

==Production== Transformation of the field began in 2010 and since then production has risen by 35%. During 2022, the field's reported production averaged {{convert|1421000|oilbbl/d|m3/d}} making up around 30% of Iraq's oil production of {{convert|4.6|Moilbbl/d|m3/d}}.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSL820863520091008 | title= Iraq signs deal with BP, CNPC for Rumaila field | publisher= Reuters | author = Ahmed Rasheed | date=2009-10-09 | access-date=2010-06-24}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Top Ten Highest Producing Oil Fields|url=http://oilpatchasia.com/2013/10/top-ten-highest-producing-oil-fields/|publisher=Oil Patch Asia|access-date=7 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140102203244/http://oilpatchasia.com/2013/10/top-ten-highest-producing-oil-fields/|archive-date=2 January 2014}}</ref> As of 2019, about 550 production wells were operating at Rumaila.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rumaila Oil Field - the biggest producing field in Iraq |url=https://www.nsenergybusiness.com/projects/rumaila-oil-field/ |access-date=2024-04-25 |language=en-US}}</ref>

'''Production Facilities'''

The field is operated by Rumaila Operating Organisation. Facilities include a headquarters, waste management centre, supply base and training academy. There are also seven operational cluster pump stations and with 14 degassing stations - seven in the North field and seven in the South field. These degassing stations provide 3-phase separation (oil, water, and natural gas). Crude oil is sent by pipeline to local refineries or ports in Basra for export. Natural gas is provided to the Basrah Gas Company, as well as being used in the recently built Rumaila Power Plant which provides electricity to various oilfield facilities. Water is disposed into disposal wells. Degassing station names: * '''North Rumaila:''' DS1, DS2, DS3, DS4, DS5, NIDS, SIDS * '''South Rumaila:''' Markazia (Rumaila), Janubia, Shamiya, Qurainat, Mishrif Shamiya, Mishrif Qurainat, Ratqa

==Reserves== Rumaila reportedly holds an estimated 17 billion barrels of oil; which accounts for 12% of Iraq's oil reserves, estimated at 143.1 billion barrels.<ref name=GT-DEX-2012-83/><ref name=GT-DEX-2010-65/><ref name=GT-DEX-2010-66/> The oil sits approximately {{convert|2400|m|ft|abbr=on}} below the surface which is considered an easy target for production.<ref name=mil/> At current production rate of {{convert|1421000|oilbbl/d|m3/d}}, the reserves-to-production ratio is just under 35 years.

== Importance == [[File:US Navy 030328-M-0000X-005 Kuwaiti firefighters fight to secure a burning oil well in the Rumaila oilfields.jpg|thumb|Firefighters from Kuwait attempting to extinguish a burning oil well at Rumaila in March 2003]] Rumaila oil field was critical in the 1990 Gulf War. Iraq, after accusing Kuwait of allegedly side-drilling under Iraqi soil, launched an attack on Kuwait on 2 August 1990.<ref name="GT-DEX-1990-01" /><ref name="GT-DEX-1990-02" /> In addition, Kuwait had been producing quantities of oil, which were above treaty limits established by OPEC.<ref name="GT-DEX-1990-01"/> In fact, before the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait in 1990, Kuwait had drilled only 8 vertical wells in its part of the Rumaila field and the production was limited due to different technical problems. After the liberation of Kuwait in 1991, the United Nation border demarcation committee went back to the historical data and shifted the Kuwaiti border toward the north which meant that Iraq was producing from Kuwaiti territory.

During the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the Iraqi Ground Forces laid an 18 km long defensive minefield across it, which contained an estimated 100,000 mines.<ref>{{cite web |url =http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/ed7cd2d4-45e7-11e2-b780-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2HQPlVS6e |title =Iraq – back in the flow |last =Chazan |first =Guy |date =December 16, 2012 |publisher =Financial Times |access-date =7 January 2013}}</ref> Iraqi forces also set fire to parts of the oil field as a defensive maneuver, though these fires were later extinguished by Coalition forces.<ref>{{Cite web| title=Boots & Coots tames Iraq's oil well fires during war | url=http://www.iadc.org/dcpi/dc-novdec03/Nov3-Boots.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714233742/http://www.iadc.org/dcpi/dc-novdec03/Nov3-Boots.pdf | archive-date=2014-07-14}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/03/21/sprj.irq.oil.wells/index.html|title=CNN.com - UK: Iraq torches seven oil wells - Mar. 21, 2003|website=CNN|access-date=2020-01-15|archive-date=2003-04-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030404015608/http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/03/21/sprj.irq.oil.wells/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://kockw.com/sites/EN/Pages/Profile/History/OilFires.aspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150519003256/http://kockw.com/sites/EN/Pages/Profile/History/OilFires.aspx|archive-date=2015-05-19|title=Kuwait Oil Company|date=May 19, 2015}}</ref>

==Cancer risk== Gas, when burned openly, can produce pollutants that are linked to cancer. Iraqi law prohibits gas-burning less than 10 km from people's homes, but the BBC found in 2022 that gas was being burned as close as 350 meters from people's homes. A leaked report from the Iraqi Ministry of Health blamed air pollution for a 20% rise in cancer in Basra between 2015 and 2018;<ref name="BBC1">{{Cite news |date=2022-09-30 |title=BP in oil field where 'cancer is rife' |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-63083634 |access-date=2023-06-18}}</ref> however, the Ministry of Health also prohibited its employees from speaking about the health damage.<ref name=BBC1/> Iraqi Environment Minister Jassem al-Falahi later admitted that "pollution from oil production is the main reason for increases in local cancer rates." None of the affected locals received compensation.<ref name="BBC2">{{Cite news |date=2022-10-17 |title=Iraqi minister admits gas flaring cancer link |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-63284896 |access-date=2023-06-18}}</ref>

According to BP, The Rumaila Operating Organisation has reduced gas flaring at its operated facilities by more than 65% since 2016.<ref>{{Cite web |date=16 February 2023 |title=bp responds to BBC story on Rumaila oilfield |url=https://www.bp.com/en/global/corporate/news-and-insights/bp-responds-to-bbc-story-on-rumaila-oilfield.html#accordion_feb-23 |website=bp}}</ref>

=== Potential causes === The production of oil can lead to the creation of "associated gas". Associated gases are gases introduced during the oil production process such as methane and hydrocarbons.<ref name=":12">{{cite journal |last1=Alsabbagh |first1=Maha R. |last2=Al-Muhyi |first2=Abdul Haleem |last3=Azeez |first3=Nayyef M. |title=Methane and Hydrocarbon Emission Rates from Oil and Gas Production in the Province of Basra, South of Iraq |journal=IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science |date=July 2023 |volume=1215 |issue=1 |article-number=012019 |doi=10.1088/1755-1315/1215/1/012019 |bibcode=2023E&ES.1215a2019A |doi-access=free }}</ref> Excess petroleum gas and other substances, if not used, can be flared. Gas flaring results in a multitude of harmful byproducts including carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2</sub>), methane (CH<sub>4</sub>), and black carbon.<ref name=":12"/> The World Bank has estimated that Rumaila has one of the highest known flaring levels in the world.<ref name=":02">{{cite news |id={{ProQuest|3043808538}} |title=Iraqi father launches legal action against BP over son's cancer death |work=TCA Regional News |date=23 April 2024 }}</ref> Studies have found links between unconventional oil, gas development(UO&G), and air pollution. This air pollution as well as potential water contamination can lead to disruptions in early child development, in some cases leading to leukemia and cancer.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Elliott |first1=Elise G. |last2=Trinh |first2=Pauline |last3=Ma |first3=Xiaomei |last4=Leaderer |first4=Brian P. |last5=Ward |first5=Mary H. |last6=Deziel |first6=Nicole C. |title=Unconventional oil and gas development and risk of childhood leukemia: Assessing the evidence |journal=Science of the Total Environment |date=January 2017 |volume=576 |pages=138–147 |doi=10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.10.072 |pmid=27783932 |bibcode=2017ScTEn.576..138E |pmc=6457992 }}</ref>

One specific particle that is linked to health impacts is, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) which can be harmful and toxic. In a recent study PAHs have been found in soil concentrations in and around the Rumaila oil field; these concentrations are due to: oil production, refinement, exploration, air pollution, and oil spills.<ref name=":2">{{cite journal |last1=Khwedim |first1=Kareem |title=Crude Oil Spillage and the Impact of Drilling Processes on the Soil at Rumaila Oil Field- Southern Iraq |journal=Iraqi Journal of Science |date=2016 |pages=918–929 |url=https://ijs.uobaghdad.edu.iq/index.php/eijs/article/view/7463 }}</ref> These amounts of PAHs surpass the set international limits of soil concentration. PAHs particles can become a public health issue when there is a build up of large concentrations in soil and groundwater. PAHs can make their way into food systems which in turn impact human and animal health.<ref name=":2"/>

=== Reported incidents and impacts === Local Rumaila communities are often not accounted for and under-represented in the media,<ref name=":3">{{cite news |id={{ProQuest|2725370067}} |title=Iraqi minister admits links between oil industry, cancer |work=TCA Regional News |date=18 October 2022 }}</ref> In part because the Rumaila Oil Field is government owned. With this several of its documents including incident and health reports are privately monitored. One Iraqi citizen has opened one of the first cases of individual legal action against flaring carried out by the Rumaila oil firm.<ref name=":02">{{cite news |id={{ProQuest|3043808538}} |title=Iraqi father launches legal action against BP over son's cancer death |work=TCA Regional News |date=23 April 2024 }}</ref> He alleges that his son was affected by the toxic chemicals produced by oil flaring which led to cancer development. It is also a concern that this prolonged health impact later led to his death. There are also unverified claims that 4-5 other deaths in the area were related to the pollution resulting from the oil field.<ref name=":4">{{cite news |id={{Gale|A791288581}} |last1=Yan |first1=Sophia |title=Iraqi father seeks compensation from BP for son's leukaemia death in legal first |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/04/23/iraqi-father-seeks-compensation-from-bp-for-leukaemia-death/ |work=The Telegraph |date=23 April 2024 }}</ref> An Iraq Health Ministry report also leaked information that cancer cases in the area had been three times higher than reported in the past.<ref name=":4"/>

==See also== {{Portal|Iraq|Energy}} *Ghawar Field *Majnoon oil field *West Qurna Field

==References== {{Reflist|2|refs=}}

==External links== * [http://www.rumaila.iq Rumaila Operating Organisation official website] * [http://www.facebook.com/rumaila.iq.en Rumaila Operating Organisation official Facebook page]

Category:BP oil and gas fields Category:Oil fields of Kuwait Category:Oil fields of Iraq Category:Oil field disputes Category:Territorial disputes of Kuwait Category:Territorial disputes of Iraq Category:Iraqi invasion of Kuwait Category:Basra Governorate Category:China National Petroleum Corporation