Crescent Petroleum signed a deal with Iraq's oil ministry to conduct an exploration and appraisal study in the southern Missan province, the UAE-based firm said.

Crescent, an upstream oil and gas company, said the memorandum of understanding signed with the ministry's Oil Exploration Co also covered technical cooperation and training.
"The initial cost of the study and its requirements is expected to exceed $1 million, to be fully funded by Crescent," the firm based in Sharjah said in a statement.
"Crescent has already carried out detailed studies on other areas in Iraq, notably the Ratawi oilfield in southern Iraq where the company has also undertaken detailed negotiations for a $1 billion field development programme," it said.
The statement gave no further details.
Decades of economic sanctions and wars have prevented Iraq from assessing its oilfields using modern techniques. Wells and surface facilities are also in need of rehabilitation.
Iraq has the world's third largest oil reserves after Saudi Arabia and Iran. It has relied almost exclusively on the south for oil exports since saboteurs have kept the country's northern export route nearly idle since the 2003 US-led war.
Meanwhile, Crescent , a part-owner of Dana Gas, said that its pipeline project with Iran to import Iranian gas was almost complete.
National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) has finished laying the pipeline to Crescent's facilities offshore. Crescent is nearing completion of offshore facilities to transport the gas to the Hamriyah and Sajaa gas hubs in Sharjah, it said.
"Total investment in the project by both partiese will exceed $1 billion, and implementation is over 90 per cent complete," a Crescent statement said.
The pipeline will allow Dana Gas, a UAE firm in which Crescent is a shareholder, to import cheap gas across the Gulf from Iran.
Crescent said it signed the contract with NIOC in 2001. It was not clear when the facilities would come on line.
Dana will sell the gas to the Sharjah Electricity & Water Authority, the UAE Federal Electricity & Water Authority and other industrial users, the statement said.