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Nassiriya oil field shut in as protests block staff access

Oil Ministry takes an 82,000 bpd field offline as de-escalation tactic in response to protests; overall production and exports unlikely to be affected nationwide.
Employees of the state-run Dhi Qar Oil Company join an anti-government protest in the provincial capital of Nassiriya in October 2019. (STAFF/Iraq Oil Report)

NASSIRIYA - The Dhi Qar Oil Company (DQOC) on Saturday shut down the Nassiriya oil field as job-seekers crowded around the state-run company’s headquarters and its flagship asset -- the latest instance of nationwide protests affecting Iraq's oil sector.

Industry and security officials said there were not enough security forces on hand at the field to handle protests staged by recent graduates and local residents who were seeking jobs. The demonstrations impeded shift changes, which caused the field to shut down.

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