A drone attack halted production at the Sarsang oilfield in Iraq’s Kurdistan region on Tuesday, just hours before its U.S. operator signed a deal to develop another field.
The Sarsang field is operated by HKN Energy, a privately held U.S. oil and gas company active in Iraq’s Kurdistan region and owned by Hillwood Energy, part of the Hillwood group founded by Ross Perot Jr.
Two hours after the morning attack, HKN Vice President Matthew Zais was in Baghdad with Oil Minister Hayan Abdel-Ghani to sign a preliminary agreement to develop the Himreen oilfield in northern Iraq, the oil ministry said.
The signing ceremony was also attended by U.S. Ambassador Steven Fagin, whose embassy condemned the drone attacks on oil infrastructure in the Kurdistan region and urged the Iraqi government to investigate and hold those responsible accountable. Washington said such attacks undermine Iraq’s sovereignty and efforts to attract foreign investment.
Production at the Sarsang field was halted as a precautionary measure after an explosion, two engineers told Reuters. Kurdistan regional authorities confirmed that the blast was from a drone attack.
No group has claimed responsibility, but Iraqi Kurdistan security sources said initial investigations suggest the drone came from areas under the control of Iran-backed militias.
Heavy plumes of smoke were seen rising from the Sarsang field in the Dohuk region of northern Iraq, according to one oil engineer at the site.
Field operator HKN said the production halt allowed firefighters to extinguish the fire. Emergency response teams later contained the damage. There were no casualties, according to both Iraqi Kurdistan’s Ministry of Natural Resources and HKN.
The incident is under investigation, and a full damage assessment is underway. The company did not provide further details on the cause of the explosion.
On Monday, two drones fell on the Khurmala oilfield near Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan, damaging water pipes at the facility.
