Iraq accelerates rehabilitation work on oil export pipeline through Türkiye
Iraq accelerates rehabilitation work on oil export pipeline through Türkiye
2026-03-29
Shafaq News – Salah al-Din
An official source in the Oil Projects Company, affiliated with the Iraqi Ministry of Oil, confirmed on Saturday that the rehabilitation work on the northern export pipeline within the Iraqi-Turkish line is continuing at an accelerated pace, through work in three shifts daily and around the clock, with the aim of completing the project within the specified timeframes.
The source told Shafaq News Agency that work is continuing according to an intensive plan that includes hydrostatic testing of the pipeline and the pipes connected to it, including the (32-inch) pipeline that feeds the line, noting that the technical and engineering staff continue their work 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
He added that the Assistant Director General of Geographical Authorities, Hadeer Jaloub, conducted a field visit to Salah al-Din Governorate to review the final stages of the project, stressing that the completion rates are proceeding according to the specified timetables.
The source explained that the project management, in the presence of the director of the Northern Projects Authority and the site managers, discussed the most prominent challenges and obstacles, while emphasizing the need to address them immediately to ensure the continuation of work and to accelerate the pace of completion.
The Iraqi-Turkish pipeline is one of the most important outlets for exporting crude oil in Iraq, as it extends from the Kirkuk fields in the north of the country towards the Turkish port of Ceyhan on the Mediterranean Sea.
Over the past years, this pipeline has suffered damage and repeated disruptions due to sabotage and security conditions, which has affected export capacities. The Ministry of Oil is currently working to rehabilitate it and improve its efficiency, with the aim of resuming export operations and boosting the country’s financial revenues.
Iraqi oil exports have witnessed a significant decline amid escalating regional tensions and the ongoing US-Israeli war on Iran, and the latter’s near-complete closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which has broadly affected oil flows from the Middle East region.
The spokesman for the Iraqi Ministry of Oil, Abdul Sahib Bazoun Al-Hasnawi, revealed to Shafaq News Agency on March 9 that the government is seriously considering several alternatives to ensure the continued export of crude oil through safer outlets.
These moves come after Iraq’s production from its main southern fields fell to between 800 and 1.3 million barrels per day, compared to about 4.3 million barrels per day before the war, after storage capacities reached their maximum limits and southern exports effectively stopped with the absence of new tankers at loading ports.
shafaq.com
