Several oilfields in Iraq's Kurdistan semi-autonomous region halted production as field infrastructure was badly damaged, according to the regional government, after a third day of drone attacks on Wednesday.
It was not certain who had carried out the attacks and no group has claimed responsibility.
Gulf Keystone Petroleum (GKP) said it had shut production at Shaikan field, one of the largest oil discoveries in Iraq's Kurdistan region, due to attacks in the field's vicinity.
“As a safety precaution, GKP has decided to temporarily shut-in production and has taken measures to protect staff. The company's assets have not been affected,” the company said.
Gulf Keystone has a production sharing contract with Iraq's Kurdistan regional government (KRG) with an 80% working interest in the licence of Shaikan, about 60km to the northwest of the capital Erbil.
“A number of terrorist attacks were carried out by a bomb-dropping drone on the oilfields of Tawke, Peshkabour and Ain Sifni in the independent administration of Zakho and the district of Shekhan in Duhok province,” KRG's ministry of natural resources said.
The attacks aimed to harm the economic infrastructure of the Kurdistan region and threaten the safety of civilian workers in the energy sector, the ministry said.
Norwegian oil and gas firm DNO, which operates the Tawke and Peshkabir oilfields in the Zakho area that borders Turkey, said it temporarily suspended production at the fields after explosions that caused no injuries.
“The damage assessment is under way and the company expects to restart production once the assessment is completed,” DNO said. DNO's shares fell about 5% after the attack and were poised to see their worst day since June 25.
The fields were attacked by three bomb-laden drones, but there were no casualties, only material damage, Kurdistan's counterterrorism service posted on Facebook.
The Ain Sifni oilfield, operated by US-based Hunt Oil, was also attacked later in the Dohuk region of northern Iraq.
There were no further details on the attack. On Tuesday, a drone attack halted production at the Sarsang oilfield in Iraq's Kurdistan region hours before its US operator signed a deal with Iraq to develop another field.
Iraqi Kurdistan security sources said initial investigations suggested the drone came from areas under the control of Iran-backed militias. On Monday, two drones fell on the Khurmala oilfield near Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan, damaging water pipes.
Reuters
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