Iraq Exports First Natural Gas Shipment in Its History

Iraqi engineers observe a gas carrier as it prepares to set sail at the southern port of Umm Qasr near Basra, Iraq, on March 20, 2016. A government spokesman says Iraq has exported the first shipment of natural gas condensate in its history, a key development for the OPEC member struggling to feed a cash-strapped economy amid an expensive fight against the Islamic State. AP Photo/Nabil al-Jurani

BAGHDAD—A government spokesman says Iraq has exported the first shipment of natural gas condensate in its history, a key development for the OPEC member struggling to feed a cash-strapped economy amid an expensive fight against the Islamic State (ISIS).

Oil Ministry spokesman Assem Jihad says a gas carrier sailed Sunday from the southern port of Umm Qasr with a cargo of about 10,000 standard cubic feet of gas in the form of condensates. Jihad wouldn’t reveal how much the cargo is worth or the buyer.

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The gas was produced by the Basra Gas Company, a joint venture between Iraq’s state-run South Gas Company, Royal Dutch Shell and Japan’s Mitsubishi Corp.

Iraq has estimated natural gas reserves of 112 trillion cubic meters.

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