Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd will import 1.4 million barrels (0.2 million tonnes) of Iraqi Basra Light crude oil during September-December.

"We are actively talking to Iraq's State Oil Marketing Organisation for importing Basra Light crude oil. We expect to get 1.4 million barrels in three cargoes," S Behuria, chairman and managing director, BPCL, told a press conference in New Delhi on Tuesday night.

While two cargoes would be processed at BPCL's Mumbai refinery, the rest would go to its subsidiary Kochi refinery.

"We haven't yet signed the deal (to import Iraqi crude), but this is broadly the quantity SOMO has indicated to us," he said, adding BPCL will seek at least 1.5 million tonnes of Basra Light crude during 2004 when the deal comes up for renewal in December.

The Indian Oil Corporation earlier this week signed an agreement with SOMO for importing 6 million barrels (0.81 million tonnes) of Basra Light in October-December. Reliance Industries Ltd too has contracted over one million tonnes of Iraqi crude during the same period.

IOC is expected to get three million tonnes of Iraqi Basra Light crude in the year to September 2004. "While we have signed for importing 6 million barrels of Iraqi crude in October-December, we hope to get another 16 million barrels (2.18 million tonnes) during January-September," a senior IOC official said.