in southern Iraq in the first shipment of its kind, despite the escalating violence in Iraq.

Lukoil owns 75 percent in West Qurna 2, which is one of the largest oil fields in the world and is expected to give a boost to the Iraqi economy and is a number of other large fields under development. It is expected that the production of West Qurna 2 would reach to 1.2 million barrels per day and estimated recoverable reserves estimated at 13 billion barrels.

Lukoil said that Triumph tanker departed the port of Basra loaded with the first shipment of oil off the port of Augusta in Sicily, where the company owns a refinery there.

The production of the West Qurna 2 within Lukoil efforts to compensate the declining production in other areas, particularly in western Siberia.

The exploration and production projects of Foreign Affairs form about six percent of Lukoil's oil production as the company expects to increase the percentage to 17 percent of total production by 2020.

Lukoil had said three weeks ago that the West Qurna 2 production has increased to 280 thousand barrels per day since the start of commercial production in March at a rate of 120 thousand barrels per day.

The company said in a statement on Tuesday that "The project is moving ahead according to schedule and Lukoil meet all its contractual obligations."

While the provinces of northern Iraq are witnessing, an escalation in violence and fighting with Islamic militants, a spokesman for Lukoil said that the situation in the south, where the company locates is "stable and predictable in general."