Iraq to resume oil exports via Türkiye's Ceyhan Port

Iraq will resume crude oil exports through the Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline to Türkiye on August 6 or 7, following an agreement with the Kurdistan Region, the country’s oil minister has announced.

Speaking to the Iraqi News Agency (INA), Oil Minister Hayyan Abdul Ghani said the initial volume would be 80,000 barrels per day, Caliber.Az reports.

“We will resume oil exports via Türkiye’s Ceyhan either today or tomorrow, with an initial daily export rate of 80,000 barrels, after reaching an agreement with the Kurdistan Region,” he stated.

The Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline, which connects northern Iraq to the Turkish port of Ceyhan on the Mediterranean, has been out of service since February 2023, when it was shut down in the aftermath of a powerful earthquake.

The resumption of oil flows marks a significant step in restoring Iraq’s northern export capacity and comes amid ongoing talks between Baghdad, Erbil, and Ankara to resolve longstanding energy and revenue-sharing disputes.

The Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline, also known as the Iraq-Türkiye crude oil pipeline, is Iraq’s largest crude oil export route to global markets outside the Persian Gulf. Stretching over 970 kilometres, the pipeline links oil fields in northern Iraq, including those in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region, to the Turkish port of Ceyhan on the Mediterranean Sea.

The pipeline has a theoretical capacity of over 1 million barrels per day, but flows have frequently been disrupted due to political disputes, security concerns, and infrastructure damage. One of the most significant interruptions came in March 2023, when exports were halted following a ruling by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).

The court ordered Türkiye to cease flows after Iraq claimed Ankara had allowed unauthorised exports of Kurdish oil without Baghdad’s consent.

The shutdown followed a major earthquake in southern Türkiye in February 2023, which damaged parts of the pipeline and further delayed its operation. The prolonged suspension has cost Iraq and the Kurdistan Region billions in lost revenues.

Recent months have seen intensive negotiations between the federal government in Baghdad, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), and Turkish authorities. In March 2024, Iraq and the KRG reached a temporary revenue-sharing arrangement, paving the way for technical repairs and legal groundwork to resume exports under Baghdad’s supervision.

The agreement to restart flows at a modest rate of 80,000 barrels per day marks a cautious but symbolic breakthrough in Iraq-Türkiye-Kurdistan energy cooperation, although larger political and legal challenges remain unresolved.

By Aghakazim Guliyev