Shafaq News- Baghdad/ Kirkuk/ Erbil/ Ankara

Iraq’s northern oil exports have fallen to between 120,000 and 135,000 barrels per day (bpd) from nearly 300,000 bpd about a month ago, three Iraqi oil sources told Shafaq News on Thursday.

The drop was caused by suspended production at several Kurdistan Region fields and the halt of roughly 90,000 bpd of Basrah crude that had been routed north through Kirkuk for export to Turkiye. Security conditions also prompted foreign operators in the Kurdistan Region to reduce or suspend activity at some fields, cutting production by about 60,000 bpd.

Exports are currently holding near 130,000 bpd through the northern pipeline system to Turkiye’s Mediterranean port of Ceyhan. The sources said volumes could recover by around 150,000 bpd if production resumes at the affected Kurdistan Region fields and Basrah crude again flows north.

On July 31, Iraq and Turkiye signed a one-year agreement covering the Iraq-Turkiye pipeline and providing for around 750,000 bpd of export capacity through Ceyhan after the expiry of the previous pipeline agreement, with Baghdad and Ankara continuing negotiations on a longer-term framework.

The northern route has gained strategic importance during the Hormuz crisis. Iraq exported only 10 million barrels through the strait in April, down from about 93 million barrels a month before the regional war disrupted Gulf shipping, according to Oil Minister Basim Mohammed.