Basra Oil Company (BOC) and China Petroleum Pipeline Engineering (CPPE) have signed a contract for a 950-kilometre seawater distribution pipeline network to supply multiple oilfields in southern Iraq, with project supervision by Austria's ILF Consulting Engineers.
The contract forms part of Iraq's strategic Common Seawater Supply Project (CSSP), which includes a central treatment facility with a capacity of 5 million barrels per day, expandable to 7-8 million barrels in later phases. The treated seawater will be injected into major oilfields, including Rumaila, Zubair, West Qurna 1, West Qurna 2, and Majnoon, as well as fields in Maysan and Dhi Qar, to maintain reservoir pressure and sustain crude oil production.
The project complements earlier agreements signed by TotalEnergies with Hyundai Engineering and other partners under Iraq's broader gas development and oil production enhancement programme, including increasing output at the Artawi [Ratawi] field to 210,000 barrels per day.
Officials noted that the seawater injection scheme will reduce the reliance on freshwater sources currently diverted from rivers and aquifers, thereby preserving them for agricultural and human use.
In August, China Petroleum Engineering Co. (CPECC) announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, China Petroleum Pipeline Engineering Co. (CPPE) has been awarded the $2.5-billion contract on a "bid awarded, pending contract signing" basis, with a total implementation period of 54 months.