WhenRumaila'sdepositswerediscovered, itwasthe second-biggestoilfield in theMiddle East, if measured together with its adjacentsister field at West Qurna.
Exxon Mobil last year signed up to explore several blocks, deeming the deal sufficiently sweet to risk expulsion from its WestQurna 1 oilfield in southern Iraq.
When Rumaila's deposits were discovered, it was the second-biggest oilfield in the Middle East, if measured together with its adjacent sister field at WestQurna.