Iraq blames foreign operator for Rumaila fire

Shafaq News/ A fire at Iraq’s Rumaila oil field disrupted exports and caused extensive damage, with lawmakers blaming the incident on negligence by the foreign operator managing the field.

Ali Shaddad, a member of Iraq’s parliamentary Oil and Gas Committee, said the fire broke out on Friday in a decommissioned storage tank at the field’s fifth gas separation station (DS5) in northern Rumaila.

The blaze, which lasted several hours, forced a complete shutdown of the station and resulted in the loss of an estimated 180,000 to 200,000 barrels of oil from Iraq’s export capacity.

“Preliminary findings show negligence by the foreign operator, which instructed employees to activate a storage tank that had recently undergone maintenance but was out of service,” Shaddad told Shafaq News. He added that while there were no fatalities, initial reports of worker injuries and the financial impact highlight broader safety concerns.

According to the safety department at Rumaila, the fire ignited around 1:30 p.m. and was contained by 5:30 p.m. after extensive firefighting efforts involving 20 fire trucks.

Workers were evacuated, and adjacent tanks were cooled to prevent further escalation.

“The infrastructure at Rumaila lacks modern safety systems, making it vulnerable to similar incidents,” Shaddad warned, adding that Iraq’s parliamentary oil and gas committee will act after the investigation concludes.

The Oil Ministry confirmed that the fire occurred as crude oil was introduced into Tank No. 2 at DS5, a tank recently rehabilitated by an Egyptian company. Petroleum experts said operational errors were likely responsible for the explosion, noting that such incidents were more common in the past but are increasingly rare with modern safety standards.

Rumaila, one of the world’s most productive oilfields and a vital source of revenue for Iraq, is operated by Rumaila Operated Organization (ROO).

This story has been updated to change the field operator from BP to ROO.