Sarqala field stops trucking as Kurdistan protests expand

The 30,000 barrels per day (bpd) capacity Sarqala oil field, operated by Gazprom Neft, stopped loading trucks late Tuesday night, as a week of protests against the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) demanding overdue civil servant pay and jobs began impacting the oil sector.

"The oil company was exporting roughly 25,000 bpd via 110 oil trucks on a daily basis, but now exports have been halted until the situation eases," said the director of the Sarqala sub-district, Ramyar Abdul-Rahman. "Gazprom was concerned that the oil trucks would potentially be targeted by the demonstrators in the cities of Kurdistan where people have taken to the streets."