Iraq Boosts Oil Exports Through Kurdistan Pipeline To Ceyhan
At a Glance
- Oil exports from the Kurdistan Region to Türkiye’s Ceyhan port are currently estimated at 180,000–200,000 barrels per day.
- Combined exports of Kirkuk, Basra and Kurdistan crude through the northern pipeline have reached around 450,000 barrels per day, according to information obtained by Channel8.
- A North Oil Company source separately reported that the Kirkuk export system is currently handling about 250,000 barrels per day, including crude from Kirkuk and the Kurdistan Region.
- The planned expansion of Basra crude transport to Kirkuk could push total flows through the pipeline above 500,000 barrels per day, according to the information received by Channel8.
Iraq is increasing crude oil flows through the Kurdistan Region’s pipeline to Turkey’s Ceyhan port, with combined shipments of oil from the Kurdistan Region, Kirkuk and southern Iraq reaching hundreds of thousands of barrels per day.
Information obtained by Channel8 indicates that total crude transported through the northern export route reached approximately 450,000 barrels on Monday, while further increases are expected as additional Basra crude is transported by tanker to Kirkuk.
Key Statements
According to information obtained by Channel8 from the North Oil Company:
Oil exports from the Kurdistan Region’s fields to Ceyhan currently range between 180,000 and 200,000 barrels per day.
Oil from Kirkuk and Basra transported through the Kurdistan Region pipeline has exceeded 250,000 barrels per day.
Total crude deliveries through the pipeline to Ceyhan reached approximately 450,000 barrels on Monday.
Kurdistan Region Crude: Between 180,000 and 200,000 barrels of crude from fields in the Kurdistan Region are being transported daily through the pipeline toward Ceyhan.
Kirkuk And Basra Crude: Additional supplies are being brought into the northern export system, including Basra crude transported by tanker to Kirkuk.
Higher Export Volumes: The planned expansion of tanker deliveries could raise total flows through the northern route above 500,000 barrels per day.
Ceyhan Route: The pipeline provides Iraq with a northern outlet to international markets through Türkiye’s Mediterranean port of Ceyhan.
| Source / Component | Approx. Daily Volume |
|---|---|
| Kurdistan Region crude | 180,000–200,000 bpd |
| Kirkuk system allocation | Around 250,000 bpd |
| Monday total reported to Channel8 | Around 450,000 barrels |
| Planned additional Basra crude transport | 100,000–200,000 bpd |
| Potential northern-route volume | Above 500,000 bpd |
Iraq is increasing the volume of crude transported through the Kurdistan Region’s oil pipeline toward the Turkish port of Ceyhan, as Baghdad seeks to expand its northern export capacity.
Information obtained by Channel8 from the North Oil Company indicates that oil exports from fields in the Kurdistan Region currently range between 180,000 and 200,000 barrels per day.
Additional crude from Kirkuk and southern Iraq is also being moved through the northern export system.
A North Oil Company source told Shafaq News on Monday that the volume allocated for export through the Kirkuk system had risen to approximately 250,000 barrels per day, including around 180,000 barrels from Kirkuk fields and about 70,000 barrels supplied by the Kurdistan Region.
Information obtained by Channel8 indicates that approximately 450,000 barrels of crude were transported to Ceyhan on Monday through the northern route.
The increase is partly linked to the movement of Basra crude by tanker to Kirkuk, where it can be transferred into the northern export system.
Iraq began a pilot operation earlier this month to transport crude by road from southern oil fields to a storage facility in Kirkuk. Reuters reported that the operation initially involved 209 tanker trucks and moved more than six million liters of crude over two days.
Under the next stage of the plan, Qaiwan Company is expected to transport between 100,000 and 200,000 barrels of Basra crude per day by tanker to Kirkuk, according to information obtained by Channel8.
If those additional volumes are successfully incorporated into the northern pipeline system, total exports through the route could rise to more than 500,000 barrels per day, according to the information provided to Channel8.
The expansion comes as Iraq seeks to make greater use of its northern export corridor amid continuing disruptions affecting its traditional southern export routes.
FYI
The expansion of the northern route has become increasingly important for Iraq as disruptions to maritime routes have complicated the country’s traditional oil-export channels. Reuters reported that Iraq has been moving southern crude north by road specifically to increase supplies available for shipment through Ceyhan.
The latest increase also reflects closer operational coordination between federal authorities and the Kurdistan Region. The northern pipeline has been used to combine crude from Kirkuk, the Kurdistan Region and, increasingly, southern Iraq before shipment to Ceyhan, giving Baghdad an additional route to international markets.
The 500,000-plus barrel figure is a projected capacity/target based on planned additional tanker deliveries, rather than a independently confirmed current daily export level. Recent reporting has placed current northern flows at different levels depending on the date and the volume included in the calculation.
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