Iraq lifts state of emergency at Majnoon oil field

Emergency declared because of floods but production not affected

Vehicles sit at the edge of a flooded area in southern Iraq's al-Qurna district, north of Basra and about 70 kilometres from the Majnoon oil field, on April 10, 2019. Weeks of rain - compounded by melShow more

Iraq lifted a state of emergency which was declared at the Majnoon oil field in the south of the country because of floods, oil minister Thamer Ghadhban said on Saturday.

The floods did not impact production at the field, which runs at 240,000 barrels per day, he said in a statement posted on the oil ministry's website.

The state of emergency was declared as a precaution because of floods that hit the region over winter and spring, he said.

State-run Basra Oil took over the operations at the field after the withdrawal of Royal Dutch Shell last year.

Iraq has announced plans to boost output from Majnoon to 450,000 barrels per day (bpd) in 2021.