Kirkuk-Ceyhan oil export halted due to technical problems

Exports from Kirkuk oilfields came to a halt on Wednesday due to technical problems, a senior engineer at the North Oil Company (NOC) told Rudaw, adding that it could be fixed in the next twenty-four hours.

“Because of a technical problem in one of the main oil pumps and a leak in that machine oil export from the Kurdistan-Ceyhan pipeline has stopped,” said Farhad Hamza, chief engineer at NOC.

 

Hamza said his teams are working on repairing the oil pump and that exports could resume “later tonight or tomorrow.”

The Iraqi state-run NOC manages the Babagurgur, Jambur, and Khanazziyah oilfields.

 

It currently exports 100,000 barrels per day which is expected to reach 150,000 barrels based on an agreement between Erbil and Baghdad.

 

The Iraqi oil ministry confirmed the resumption of exports from Kirkuk last week based on an agreement signed between the Kurdish government and Baghdad in 2014.