Iraq announced substantial reductions in crude output as storage facilities approach their limits and international tankers avoid transiting the Strait of Hormuz amid recent attacks on shipping, Iraqi oil officials said on Wednesday.
The cuts were concentrated at several of the country’s largest producing fields. Output at Rumaila - Iraq’s biggest oilfield - was lowered by 700,000 barrels per day. West Qurna 2 experienced a decline of roughly 450,000 barrels per day, and production at the Maysan field was trimmed by about 350,000 barrels per day, officials said.
In addition to those reductions, Iraq has halted crude production from the Kirkuk region in the north as a precautionary step, according to the same officials. The suspension and the field-specific cuts together represent a reduction in national flow volumes exceeding half of previously reported production levels.
Officials linked the production curbs to two operational constraints. First, onshore storage capacity is running out, limiting the ability to hold additional crude. Second, tanker operators are avoiding the Strait of Hormuz following attacks on shipping in the waters nearby, which is restricting Iraq’s capacity to export barrels through its usual maritime routes.
The combined effect of constrained storage and reduced tanker transits has directly affected Iraq’s capacity to place cargoes on international markets. By slowing output at major fields and suspending flows from Kirkuk, Baghdad has sought to prevent further accumulation of crude in storage and to respond to the logistical challenges posed by shipping disruptions.
Operational snapshot
- Rumaila: -700,000 barrels per day.
- West Qurna 2: approximately -450,000 barrels per day.
- Maysan: approximately -350,000 barrels per day.
- Kirkuk: production suspended as a precaution.
The situation reflects a short-term operational response by Iraqi oil authorities to immediate storage and shipping constraints. Officials described the moves as measures to manage physical flows in the face of accumulating inventories and maritime avoidance by tankers following attacks on vessels in the region.