Crude oil exports from Iraq's key southern Basra terminal have increased to 1.44 million barrels a day since Tuesday afternoon from only 768,000 barrels a day for two days, a shipping agent told Dow Jones Newswires Wednesday.
"The loading rate has increased to 60,000 barrels an hour since Tuesday afternoon," or 1.44 million barrels a day, the agent said by telephone from the terminal.
Iraq's normal export rate from its southern oil terminals is around 65,000-70,000 barrels an hour, or 1.56 million-1.68 million barrels a day.
Some "technical problems" are still preventing Iraq from exporting its crude oil at normal levels, the agent said.
Meanwhile, a senior official with the South Oil Co. said the slow in Iraqi crude oil exports was due to the security situation. "We operate the main pumping station that pumps crude oil to the terminal only during the night and shut them down during the day because of fears of sabotage," he said.