Default Iraq Halts 400,000 B/D Oil Flow To Turkey On Pipeline Sabotage
The Iraqi authorities have halted since Friday pumping of around 400,000 barrels a day from Kirkuk oil fields in northern Iraq to the Turkish export terminal of Ceyhan, an Iraqi oil ministry spokesman said Saturday.
"We have terminated the flow of Kirkuk crude oil to the Turkish port since Friday because the export pipeline was sabotaged inside Turkey," Assem Jihad told Dow Jones Newswires. He said that Iraq used to pump some 400,000 barrels a day to the Mediterranean port of Ceyhan before the incident.
Jihad confirmed news reports that the pipeline was sabotaged in the Turkish province of Mardin near the Iraqi border. An explosion at a pipeline linking Iraq with southern Turkey caused a fire and an oil leak Friday, but the blaze was later brought under control, local media reported.
He said that the Iraqi oil ministry set up an emergency committee from the ministry and the North Oil Co., headed by Oil Minister Hussein al-Shahristani to follow up with the Turkish authorities progress to repair the damaged pipeline.
"It could take the Turkish authorities two to seven days to repair," Jihad said.
However, export operations are continuing despite the suspension of the flow as there were around 6 million barrels of Kirkuk crude in storage facilities in Ceyhan, Jihad said.
http://www.easybourse.com/bourse/act...ipeline-566934
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The Iraqi authorities have halted since Friday pumping of around 400,000 barrels a day from Kirkuk oil fields in northern Iraq to the Turkish export terminal of Ceyhan, an Iraqi oil ministry spokesman said Saturday.
"We have terminated the flow of Kirkuk crude oil to the Turkish port since Friday because the export pipeline was sabotaged inside Turkey," Assem Jihad told Dow Jones Newswires. He said that Iraq used to pump some 400,000 barrels a day to the Mediterranean port of Ceyhan before the incident.
Jihad confirmed news reports that the pipeline was sabotaged in the Turkish province of Mardin near the Iraqi border. An explosion at a pipeline linking Iraq with southern Turkey caused a fire and an oil leak Friday, but the blaze was later brought under control, local media reported.
He said that the Iraqi oil ministry set up an emergency committee from the ministry and the North Oil Co., headed by Oil Minister Hussein al-Shahristani to follow up with the Turkish authorities progress to repair the damaged pipeline.
"It could take the Turkish authorities two to seven days to repair," Jihad said.
However, export operations are continuing despite the suspension of the flow as there were around 6 million barrels of Kirkuk crude in storage facilities in Ceyhan, Jihad said.
http://www.easybourse.com/bourse/act...ipeline-566934
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