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Iraq loads about 13 million barrels of crude in one-day surge

Satellite imagery and tanker tracking show seven carriers at Iraqi Persian Gulf facilities on Aug. 24, and the loaded barrels still must transit the Strait of Hormuz.

Reported · Written up by our desk · Energy

Satellite imagery analyzed by Bloomberg shows seven crude carriers moored at Iraq’s Persian Gulf export facilities on Aug. 24, a sharp increase from recent weeks.

The carriers have a combined carrying capacity of roughly 13 million barrels, according to the imagery, and TankerTrackers.com separately identified about 13 million barrels loading Monday at Iraq’s Al Basrah Oil Terminal.

The activity represents a dramatic change from earlier weeks when satellite passes typically showed only one or two tankers at Iraq’s offshore export facilities per day, though the article notes it does not prove exports have fully returned to pre-war levels.

Iraq’s August loadings are running around 300,000 barrels per day, versus a 2025 average of roughly 1.7 million bpd, and the loaded barrels still face shipping constraints, including passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

Latest closeWTI crude $82.40 ▲1.4%

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