By Ahmed Rasheed
BAGHDAD (Reuters) -BP, Eni and TotalEnergies have begun evacuating foreign personnel from Iraqi oilfields where they operate, state-run Basra Oil Company said on Monday.
Output from Iraq’s southern oilfields for the time being remains unchanged with exports averaging 3.32 million barrels per day, two oil officials told Reuters.
The measures follow U.S. military strikes on Iranian nuclear sites and clashes between Israel and Iran, which borders Iraq.
Iran-aligned Iraqi armed group Kataib Hezbollah had warned it would resume attacks on U.S. troops in the region if the United States intervenes in Iran.
“The companies operating in Basra Oil Company fields… have temporarily evacuated some foreign personnel, particularly BP, which operates in the Rumaila field,” Basra Oil said in a statement.
It added that the move would not affect production.
BP was not immediately available to comment.
Italy’s Eni, which has a technical service contract at Iraq’s Zubair oil and gas field, had reduced staff to 98 from 260, Basra Oil said, adding the workers remained in the country were working normally with local employees.
A spokesman had previously said Eni had reduced personnel as a precautionary move and was monitoring the situation in the region.
France’s TotalEnergies has evacuated 60% of its personnel, but this did not affect operations, Basra Oil said. The company was not immediately available to comment.
Work continued smoothly at the West Qurna/1, Siba, and Faihaa fields which are managed by Chinese companies, who did not reduce their staff, Basra Oil said.
Activities conducted by Russia’s Lukoil were also not impacted.
Chevron and Shell, which also operate in Iraq, declined to comment.
(Additional reporting by Francesca Landini in Milan, Marwa Rashad in London, America Hernandez in Paris; Writing by Nayera Abdallah and Francesca Landini; editing by Alexandra Hudson, Tomasz Janowski and Jason Neely)
