International oil companies Italy's Eni SpA (E), Japan's Nippon Oil Corp. (5001.TO) and Spain's Repsol YPF SA (REP) are competing for a contract to develop the Nassiriya oil field in southern Iraq, one of the world's vast oil fields, an authorized oil ministry spokesman said Thursday.
"The ministry has asked the three companies to submit their bids to develop Nassiriya oil field," the spokesman told Dow Jones Newswires by telephone from Baghdad.
The companies had already submitted bids to the Iraqi oil ministry for an engineering, procurement and construction contract, he said.
"These offers are still under study and analysis by the ministry and the contract hasn't yet been awarded," he added.