Crude oil production from the offshore Kharg Oilfields in the Persian Gulf increased by 2 million barrels in the first six months of the current fiscal (started in March) compared to the corresponding period last year, director of the Iranian Offshore Oil Company said.
"The oilfields, namely Abouzar, Forouzan and Doroud, currently produce 451,000 barrels per day that is 11,000 bpd more than in 2017," Abbas Rajabkhani was quoted as saying by ILNA.
The increase was made possible thanks to planning by the IOOC, a subsidiary of state-owned National Iranian Oil Company. It drilled two new wells and repaired 18 others in the region in the period with the help of six offshore rigs.
The move comes in line with Iran's plan to boost oil production from offshore hydrocarbon deposits it shares with Arab neighbors.
Giving a breakdown, the official said oil output from Abouzar at 220,000 bpd — one of the prolific offshore oilfields — has risen by 4,000 bpd in the 6-month period.
"The field's output is sent via subsea pipelines to Kharg for export."
Abouzar Oilfield, 76 kilometers southwest of the strategic Kharg Island, holds 4 billion barrels of in-place crude oil, but only 20% of the deposit is recoverable.
Referring to Forouzan Oilfield, 100km southwest of the island, Rajabkhani said, "The field's output has increased by 3,100 bpd reaching 53,000 bpd."
Forouzan is one of Iran's two oilfields owned jointly with Saudi Arabia.
It was discovered by the Pan American Petroleum and Transport Company in 1966 with estimated in-place reserves of 2.3 billion barrels. Production from the field started in 1987 with 180,000 bpd, but fell to 40,000 bpd in 2000.
Iran has 145 hydrocarbon fields of which 26 are shared with neighbors, including Kuwait, Iraq, Qatar, Bahrain, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Turkmenistan.
With respect to the Doroud Oilfield, the official said, "The field's current output is 172,500 bpd, up 1.5% compared to last year." The field has 60 operating fields.
IOOC is in charge of developing crude oil reservoirs in the Persian Gulf region, including Abouzar, Hendijan, Bahregansar, Reshadat, Soroush, Norouz and Doroud fields. It also collects associated petroleum gases in Kharg Island and Bahregan oil region off the Persian Gulf.
The IOOC has implemented $3 billion worth of projects under engineering, procurement, construction and financing (EPCF) contras over the past few years in collaboration with domestic and foreign firms.
