Iraq-Turkey oil exports via Kirkuk halted for three weeks

ANKARA

A worker checks the valve gears of pipes linked to oil tanks at Turkey’s Mediterranean port of Ceyhan, which is run by the Petroleum Pipeline Corporation. REUTERS photo

Pumping along the Kirkuk-Ceyhan crude export pipeline has been halted since the beginning of March, energy authorities have said, while fresh data showed the amount of oil carried through the pipeline has dropped almost a quarter in January.

“No information has been given regarding when the oil flow at the line that was halted due to sabotage will restart,” an energy authority told Reuters March 19.

The official said authorities have been trying to fix the problem in Iraq.

Iraqi oil imports down

Figures announced by Turkey’s Energy Market Regulatory Authority yesterday showed the crude oil flow through the Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline has seen further drops in January after falling by 37 percent in 2013 compared to 2012.

The oil carried on the line dropped to 5.9 million barrels in the first month of the year, marking a 24 percent decline compared to last year’s same month. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has also started pumping oil to Turkey via a new pipeline that ties into the Kirkuk-Ceyhan network, which is controlled by Baghdad. Both are using the same pumping station, which has also caused some problems.