On 12 January gunmen opened fire on a two-vehicle convoy of Chinese state firm Sinopec in Iraq’s Maysan province with two Sudanese security guards wounded. The attack took place at Al-Majer al-Kabir district which is 36km away from the CNPC-operated 400,000 b/d capacity Halfaya oilfield. Chinese oil companies have a strong presence in Maysan province with CNOOC also operating the Maysan cluster of three fields – Buzurgan, Abu Gharib and Fakka – which have a capacity of around 200,000 b/d. The area is known to be tribal and armed conflicts are common. Sinopec has carried out drilling work in the province.