Iran says COVID-19 outbreak delays gas field projects in Gulf

The outbreak of the novel coronavirus in Iran has put on hold the projects in South Pars Gas Field in the Gulf, Financial Tribune daily reported Thursday.

The hookup operation on offshore decks of Phase 13 of the gas field has been delayed because of the outbreak of the disease, Mohammad Meshkinfam, managing director of Pars Oil and Gas Company, was quoted as saying.

Phase 13 has four decks, two of which, 13B and 13D, were launched in 2018.

Besides, the platform jacket for the Phase 11 of the field is ready in Qeshm Island and was supposed to have been installed in the last fiscal year ending in March, he said.

"However, spread of the COVID-19 delayed the work," Meshkinfam added.

Phase 11 is near the Iran-Qatar joint water frontier.

South Pars is divided into 24 phases, most of which are in operation.

As the world's largest gas field shared between Iran and Qatar, the South Pars field, also known as the North Dome field, holds an estimated 1,800 trillion cubic feet of in-situ natural gas and some 50 billion barrels of natural gas condensate, according to the International Energy Agency.

(CGTN)