Jordan oil imports from Iraq reached 309,000 barrels in November — Zawati

AMMAN — Jordan imported 309,000 barrels of oil via 1,209 tankers from Iraq in November under a deal the two countries signed in February, Energy Minister Hala Zawati said on Tuesday.

The total amount of oil imported from Iraq in November was transferred from Baiji refinery to the Jordan Petroleum Refinery Company (JPRC) in Zarqa at an average of 10,000 barrels a day, Zawati noted in a ministry statement.

Iraqi crude oil shipments amounting to 776,000 barrels arrived in the Kingdom during the September-October period, she added. 

These imports covered 7 per cent of the Kingdom’s needs, she said, highlighting the importance of this deal as part of the standing energy cooperation between Amman and Baghdad.

The Energy Ministry, in cooperation with relevant Iraqi authorities, in early September started implementing a memorandum of understanding on purchasing Iraqi oil, according to the statement.

Under the deal, signed by both countries on February 2, Jordan would receive 10,000 barrels of Iraqi crude oil per day at a discounted $16 from the price of Brent Crude (a global price benchmark for crude oil) per barrel, to cover the difference of transport costs and deviations in standards.

More than 200 individually and corporately owned trucks, 100 from each country, are involved in the transport process.