1991Mar, 2
Battle at Rumaila oil field brings an end to the 1991 Gulf War.
The Rumaila oil field is a super-giant oil field located in southern Iraq, approximately 20 mi (32 km) from the Kuwaiti border. Discovered in 1953 by the Basrah Petroleum Company (BPC), an associate company of the Iraq Petroleum Company (IPC), the field is estimated to contain 17 billion barrels, which accounts for 12% of Iraq's oil reserves estimated at 143.1 billion barrels. Rumaila is said to be the largest oilfield ever discovered in Iraq and is considered the third largest oil field in the world.Under Abd al-Karim Qasim, the oilfield was confiscated by the Iraqi government by Public Law No. 80 of 11 December 1961. Since then, this massive oil field has remained under Iraqi control. The assets and rights of IPC were nationalised by Saddam Hussein in 1972, and those of BPC in 1975. The dispute between Iraq and Kuwait over alleged slant-drilling in the field was one of reasons for Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990.The oil field requires regular investment to manage its reservoir. To maintain steady output, 200,000 barrels a day of lost production has to be replaced every year.
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Events on 1991
- 15Jan
Gulf War
The United Nations deadline for the withdrawal of Iraqi forces from occupied Kuwait expires, preparing the way for the start of Operation Desert Storm. - 16Jan
Gulf War
Coalition Forces go to war with Iraq, beginning the Gulf War. - 17Jan
Operation Desert Storm
Gulf War: Operation Desert Storm begins early in the morning. Iraq fires eight Scud missiles into Israel in an unsuccessful bid to provoke Israeli retaliation. - 9Apr
Soviet Union
Georgia declares independence from the Soviet Union - 5Oct
Jakarta
An Indonesian military transport crashes after takeoff from Jakarta killing 137.