Shafaq News – Baghdad

Iraq and Syria reached a preliminary agreement to revive the Kirkuk–Baniyas oil pipeline, paving the way for the line to resume operations once agreed strategic frameworks are completed, a knowledgeable source said on Sunday.

The source told Shafaq News that a delegation led by Iraq’s deputy oil minister, including SOMO Director General Ali Nizar, Oil Pipelines Company Director General Ali Abdul Karim, and other senior officials, visited Damascus last week to discuss mechanisms for restarting the pipeline with officials from Syria’s Ministry of Oil and Mineral Resources.

According to the source, the talks focused on requirements for extending Iraqi oil exports through the Syrian ports of Baniyas and Tartous, as well as establishing strategic frameworks for implementation.

The preliminary understandings align with both sides’ intentions to revive the pipeline following an assessment of damage and technical readiness, the source said, adding that a final decision is pending a comprehensive report by a consulting team preparing a detailed feasibility study on the pipeline’s reactivation and the expected gains.

A specialized Turkish company is expected to execute the project and determine its actual cost, the source said, noting that Iraq and Syria would share the rehabilitation expenses as the project is expected to deliver benefits to both countries. A joint committee has been formed to oversee implementation.

The Kirkuk–Baniyas pipeline, built in 1952, transported crude oil from northern Iraq to Syria’s Mediterranean port of Baniyas, providing Iraq with direct access to European markets. The line stretches approximately 800 kilometers and has a capacity of 300,000 barrels per day, serving as a key export artery for decades.

Read more: Kirkuk–Baniyas Pipeline: Iraq’s direct oil lifeline to the Mediterranean

Pipeline operations ceased in 2003 after sustaining extensive damage during the US-led invasion of Iraq. Subsequent efforts to restore the line stalled due to aging infrastructure, security challenges, and shifting regional alliances.

Estimates suggest that a full rehabilitation and expansion of the pipeline to 700,000 barrels per day could cost up to $8 billion, although partial reactivation may be achievable at a lower cost, according to the source.