ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Oil has continued to flow from Kirkuk to the Turkish Ceyhan port through the Kurdistan Region’s pipeline two days after it was halted due technical problems. A source told Rudaw that the technical problem was resolved on Friday, after it delayed the flow of oil for 48 hours, and that the exports are now resuming as normal. Earlier Farhad Hamza, chief engineer at North Oil Company (NOC) told Rudaw that due to a technical problem in one of the main oil pumps and a leak in the pipeline the export had been halted. The Iraqi state-run NOC manages the Babagurgur, Jambur, and Khanazziyah oilfields in Kirkuk province. The pipeline currently exports 100,000 barrels per day (bpd). That figure is expected to rise to 150,000 bpd following a recent oil agreement reached between Baghdad and Erbil. According to the new deal, which was reached following the visit of Kurdish Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani to Baghdad late last month, Baghdad and Erbil will jointly sell the 150,000 bpd which go through that pipeline. The Iraqi Oil Ministry confirmed the resumption of exports from Kirkuk last week based on an agreement signed between the Kurdish government and Baghdad back in 2014.
