Kirkuk resumes oil export

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – The oil exports from Kirkuk oil fields resumed on Friday.

After more than 24 hours hiatus, the oil exports have resumed via the Kurdistan Region Ceyhan oil pipeline.

Ahmed Askari, head of the Oil and Gas Committee at the Kirkuk Provincial Council confirmed the news while speaking to Kurdistan24, stating that “The oil exports have resumed to Ceyhan port at 12:00 PM (local time).”

Askari added that 100 barrels per day will be exported from the Kirkuk oil fields.

Exporting three oil fields from Kirkuk Province to Ceyhan port in Turkey was halted on Wednesday due to a technical issue, according to the chief engineer at the North Oil Company (NOC).

Farhad Hamza, the head engineer at NOC, told Kurdistan24 the oil export from the oil fields of Jabour, Khabaza, and Baba Gurgur to Turkey had been stopped temporarily due to a leak in one of the oil pumpers.

The three oil fields are administrated by the NOC, which is under the control of the federal government of Iraq.

The oil export was halted for few months after a disagreement between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the Iraqi federal government over oil revenues.

On Aug. 29, the KRG and the Iraqi government agreed to jointly export Kirkuk oil via the Kurdistan Region pipelines to Turkey with both sides allocating Kirkuk’s financial dues.

The deal is split evenly where the KRG exports 50 percent and Baghdad exports 50 percent via the Kurdistan Region pipeline to Turkey’s Ceyhan port.

Editing by Ava Homa