Iraq resumes oil shipments after port shutdown

[October 23, 2012]  BAGHDAD (AP) -- A senior Iraqi oil official says shipments from the country's main oil export terminals on the Persian Gulf have restarted after being halted earlier in the week due to bad weather.

Deputy Oil Minister Ahmed al-Shamaa confirmed to The Associated Press on Tuesday that exports had resumed from the southern oil terminals, but he didn't say how much oil was being shipped.

Shipments were stopped Sunday because of bad weather.

Most of Iraq's oil is shipped by sea from the southern export terminals, and returns from crude account for the bulk of the government's budget.

Iraq has raised crude oil output to 3.4 million barrels a day. It recently beat out sanctions-saddled Iran to become OPEC's second-biggest producer.

[Associated Press]

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