Iraq To Ask Foreign Oil Firms To Build Housing For Employees | Gulf Coast Oil Rig Equipment & Repair



Iraq will ask foreign oil companies operating in the country to build housing for Iraqis employed on their projects.

BAGHDAD, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Iraq will ask foreign oil companies operating in the country to build housing for Iraqis employed on their projects, the oil ministry in Baghdad said in a statement on Wednesday.

Oil Minister Jabar al-Luaibi "issued a general notice which commits contracted companies to build modern housing compounds and provide essential services to employees," the statement said.

ExxonMobil, Lukoil, Gazprom, ENI , Royal Dutch Shell, Total, BP , PetroChina and Petronas are among the companies operating in Iraq, and the latest decision could significantly increase their costs.

Iraq is the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries' second-largest oil producer after Saudi Arabia, with an output of 4.4 million barrels of crude per day.

(Reporting by Maher Chmaytelli; Editing by Mark Potter and David Evans)