Iraqi Oil Minister Adel Abdel-Mahdi said on March 20 that Iraq exported its first ever shipment of natural gas.
In an announcement posted to his Facebook page, Mahdi said the export of 1,000 standard cubic feet of gas condensates left the southern port city of Umm Qasr aboard a tanker ship.
He did not specify the destination of the cargo or the amount of payment received for it.
The natural gas was produced by the Basra Gas Company – a joint venture between Iraq's state-run South Gasp Company, Royal Dutch Shell, and Japan’s Mitsubishi Corporation.
Iraq, like other oil-producing countries, has been suffering from a drop in revenues due to low global oil prices.
It also faces a costly U.S.-backed war against terrorist fighters who call themselves Islamic State.
