Iraq said it has yet to reach an agreement with Ankara to allow the resumption of almost half a million barrels per day of Iraqi oil exports from Turkey.
The standoff, part of a wider dispute between Baghdad and the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government, has halted shipments from the Mediterranean port of Ceyhan since late March.
Iraq is in talks with Turkey, but there is no clarity on when flows can be restarted, Iraqi Oil Minister Hayyan Abdul Ghani told reporters on Wednesday. Turkish officials have said they are checking a pipeline leading to the terminal for damage from recent tremors in the region, he said.
“There is some damage to the pipeline, according to what the Turkish authorities told us,” the minister said. Turkey’s state-owned gas pipeline operator Botas is “doing checks.”
The federal government of Iraq and the KRG typically send about 450,000 barrels of crude oil per day through Ceyhan. This is about 10% of Iraq’s total production, most of which is exported from ports in the southern Persian Gulf.
The minister also said that Iraq plans to build a crude oil pipeline to the port of Amaya in the south of the country. This should be able to transport 500,000 barrels a day and be financed with money from Japan.
