OREANDA-NEWS. June 22, 2011. On June 17, the super crude carrier Jiuhuashan, carrying the first shipment of 2 million barrels of crude oil from Rumaila Oilfield, arrived at Dalian Port. Half of the oil will be processed at PetroChina Dalian Petrochemical Company.

The carrier departed for China from Iraq's Basra port on May 28 and sails about 6,500 nautical miles via Hormuz Strait, the Indian Ocean, Colombo, Malacca Strait, and Taiwan Strait.

BP and CNPC signed a USD 15 billion 20-year service contract with the Iraqi government in November 2009 and formed a consortium — in which BP holds a 38% stake, CNPC 37% and Iraq's South Oil Co. the remaining 25% —to develop Iraq's giant Rumaila Oilfield.