Shafaq News- Baghdad
Iraq is preparing alternative oil export routes after shipments through the Strait of Hormuz were halted, an Iraqi senior official said on Monday.
In a video statement, Deputy Prime Minister for Energy and Mineral Resources Hayyan Abdulghani Al-Sawad noted that Iraq’s crude oil production stands at about 4.4 million barrels per day (bpd), in line with its OPEC quota, stressing that military operations in the Middle East have disrupted Iraqi oil exports.
“Iraq exported roughly 4.4 million bpd through southern ports, primarily Basra,” he indicated, adding that closure of the strait forced the Ministry of Oil to reduce production to 1.5–1.6 million bpd to meet domestic refinery and power plant requirements.
Production has been suspended at several fields, including West Qurna 1 and 2, Al-Fayhaa, Majnoon, and some Maysan fields such as Al-Halfaya and Bazarkan. Meanwhile, central fields continue supplying gas for power plants despite lower output, with the Kirkuk fields operating at full capacity to support northern refineries.
Pointing that refineries are operating at full capacity to supply gasoline, diesel, kerosene, and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), he noted that Iraqi refineries produce 1,400–1,500 tons of LPG daily, including 400–500 tons from northern fields, while strategic reserves exceed 50,000 tons, stored underground for emergencies.
On export routes, Al-Sawad confirmed that the Kirkuk-Turkey pipeline, with a capacity of 200,000–250,000 bpd, will be ready to operate within a week. Efforts are also underway to begin shipments via Turkiye’s Ceyhan port, with tenders planned for exports through Syria’s Baniyas port and Jordan’s Aqaba port.
The Strait of Hormuz carries about 20% of the world’s oil and roughly 4.5% of global trade. Recent moves by Iran have slowed traffic through the maritime gateway, pushing oil prices over 20% higher to more than $104 per barrel, the highest level since July 2022.
Read more: Hormuz lockdown: Iraq’s economic lifeline under threat