British Petroleum and its partners China's CNPC and Iraq's South Oil Co plan to issue tenders to drill 40-50 new wells in the supergiant Rumaila oilfield this year and "about the same" next year, Reuters has reported. A BP executive said tenders for next year's well contracts are expected to be issued and awarded at some stage this year. BP and CNPC signed a 20-year development contract last year for Rumaila and expect to increase Rumaila's output to 2.85 million barrels per day.