Iraq Rumaila Oil Field Output Resumes; Fire Out – Officials

Iraq is Wednesday gradually resuming normal crude oil production from its supergiant Rumaila oil field, after emergency teams extinguished a fire which broke out Tuesday in a gas facility, a senior Iraqi oil official said.

Rumaila, operated by BP PLC (BP) and China National Petroleum Corp., produces between 1.2 million-1.3 million barrels a day.

"We are resuming gradually normal production from Rumaila today," Dhiaa Jaafar, head of Iraq’s largest state company, the South Oil Co., told Dow Jones Newswires by telephone from Basra. "We haven’t reduced our exports even one drop because of the fire."

Iraq exports around 1.8 million barrels a day from its southern terminals in the Persian Gulf.

Ali Hussein Khudhier, head of the state-run South Gas Co. which operates the damaged gas facility, said that he had asked BP to delay output from one station because it is linked directly to the damaged gas station.

Khudhier said fire at the gas facility was extinguished at 1850 local time Tuesday.

Both Jaafar and Khudhier denied news reports that one worker was killed in the fire Tuesday.

"No one [died] at the incident as the media has reported," Khudier said. "Between 15 and 16 workers were injured and have already left hospital after receiving treatment."