Iraq is planning to boost its tanker fleet to transport more crude to global markets as it is pushing ahead with a post-war programme to increase its oil and gas production, Iraq’s Oil Minister was quoted on Thursday as saying.

Hayan Abdel Ghani told a Norwegian industry delegation in Baghdad on Tuesday that a bigger shipping fleet is needed to cope with the country’s hydrocarbon expansions, a report by the Iraqi News Agency said.

He did not specify the number of tankers to be bought but Iraq is producing nearly 4.5 million barrels per day of crude and has been locked in plans to expand refining and gas output.

(Writing by Nadim Kawach; Editing by Anoop Menon)

(anoop.menon@lseg.com)

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