Jordan resumes imports of Iraqi crude oil

AMMAN — The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources on Monday announced that the imports of Iraqi crude oil to Jordan has resumed, with the Kingdom so far receiving approximately 80,000 barrels. 

The Director of the Oil and Gas Directorate at the ministry, Iman Awwad, noted that the transfer was resumed based on the signing of a memorandum and a contract for preparing Iraqi oil, according to a ministry statement. 

Since the resumption went into effect, 422 tankers were loaded with 105,000 barrels of Iraq's Kirkuk crude oil. 

Of the tankers, 300 have arrived in the Kingdom so far, carrying 80,000 barrels of oil that were unloaded at the Jordanian Petroleum Refinery Company, Awad said. 

Jordan's oil imports from Iraq constitute 7 per cent of the Kingdom's crude oil needs.

Jordan and Iraq earlier this month signed a memorandum of understanding for the supply and transportation of crude oil.

As per the agreement, Jordan will import 10,000 barrels of crude oil per day (bpd) at a discounted rate of $16 per barrel less than the monthly Brent crude rate, to cover quality differentials and transportation costs, according to a ministry statement.

The Kingdom imported approximately 4.5 million barrels of crude oil from Iraq between September 2021 and the end of March 2023, at an average of approximately 9,992 barrels per day, the statement quoted Energy Ministry Saleh Al Kharabsheh as saying.