Iraq Says Crude Exports Via Turkey Are Halted by Fault

Iraq halted crude exports from northern oil fields because of a technical fault at a pipeline network in neighboring Turkey, the Oil Ministry said.

The crude oil exports stopped at 7:45 p.m. yesterday, the ministry said in a statement on the website of the official National Media Center.

Transportation of Iraqi crude through the pipeline, which terminates at the Mediterranean port of Ceyhan, Turkey, has been halted at least 13 times since November due to sabotage, bad weather and technical reasons, according to the ministry.

Iraq normally exports 450,000 to 500,000 barrels a day from northern oil fields through Turkey. It ships most of its crude from the south on tankers sailing from the Persian Gulf.

Iraq pumped an average of 2.81 million barrels a day last month, the third-largest producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, according to Bloomberg estimates.

To contact the reporter on this story: Nayla Razzouk in Dubai at nrazzouk2@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Bruce Stanley at bstanley5@bloomberg.net