Shafaq News/ Iraq ranked fifth among Arab countries exportingnaphtha during the first nine months of 2024, according to data from the EnergyResearch Unit, based in Washington.
The data showed that "average naphtha exports from Arabcountries rose to 1.59 million barrels per day (bpd) from January to the end ofSeptember 2024, up from 1.41 million barrels bpd during the same period in2023."
Iraq recorded a significant increase in average naphtha exportsduring the first nine months of 2024, reaching 179,000 bpd—up from 79,660 bpd inthe same period of 2023—placing it fifth among the largest Arabnaphtha-exporting countries.
The data further indicated that “Iraq's average naphtha exportsincreased to 175,620 bpd in the first quarter of 2024, up from 76,150 bpd inthe same quarter last year,” affirming that "exports continued to rise inthe second quarter of 2024, reaching an average of 214,400 bpd, compared to69,740 bpd during the same period in 2023, before reaching 146,700 bpd in thethird quarter.”
The UAE led the list of the largest Arab naphtha exporters andranked first globally in the first nine months of 2024, followed by Qatar,Kuwait, and Algeria.
Notably, fuel oils have been Iraq's largest export product, withother shipments including naphtha, bitumen/asphalt, gasoil, and gasoline.
Naphtha, an intermediate petroleum product derived from oilrefineries, comes in two types: light naphtha and heavy naphtha. It is mainlyused to produce gasoline for vehicles and in the chemical industry formanufacturing ethylene and propylene, which are essential for producingplastics like polyethylene and polypropylene.