Oil flow Turkey and Iraq halts due to pipeline problems

ARBIL

The Kurdish pipeline ties into Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline controlled by Baghdad. AA Photo

Ongoing repairs to the Kirkuk-Ceyhan export pipeline between Turkey and Iraq have led to delays in the transport of Kurdish oil to Turkey, Arbil has announced.

“Due to ongoing repairs to the main Kirkuk-Ceyhan export pipeline, the KRG has been advised by the NOC [North Oil Company] and MoO [Ministry of Oil] that they are not yet ready to receive any oil from the Kurdistan region,” a statement released by the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) said.

“It has been agreed that as soon as the repairs to the pipeline are finished, the KRG shall begin to export from the region to honor in full the KRG prime minister’s commitment,” the statement also read.
Negotiations between Iraqi Kurds and the government have been continuing to solve a row over energy exports, in which Baghdad has choked off funds to the northern region.

Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region pledged to export 100,000 barrels of oil per day through central government-controlled pipelines in a bid to resolve an impasse with Baghdad ahead of elections.