Iraq resumes Kirkuk oil exports through Kurdistan Region pipeline to Turkey

KIRKUK — Iraq resumed exports of Kirkuk crude through the Kurdistan Region pipeline to Turkey’s Ceyhan port Wednesday at an initial capacity of 250,000 barrels per day, the North Oil Company announced.

The company said it had begun operating the Sarlo pumping station, with “Kirkuk fields returned to production and export.” The restart follows an agreement reached Tuesday evening when Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani announced the KRG would allow oil to flow through the pipeline “as soon as possible,” ending days of acrimonious public dispute between Baghdad and Erbil over the stalled route.

The Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline has become critical to Iraq’s finances after regional conflict disrupted tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, cutting off southern terminals near Basra that normally handle around 90 percent of government revenue. Oil prices have risen above $100 per barrel since U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran began Feb. 28, with most commercial traffic through the strait effectively halted.