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Iraq launched a pilot operation to transport crude oil by land from southern oil fields to a storage facility in Kirkuk in an effort to boost supplies to the northern export system, and possibly increase shipments through the Turkish port of Ceyhan.
This initiative is part of broader Iraqi efforts to increase flows through the northern export route after the US-Israeli war on Iran disrupted Iraq's shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, the country's main export route.
A spokesperson for the Iraqi Ministry of Oil said the ministry had contracted with the local Kar Group to transport crude oil using its fleet of tanker trucks. This arrangement was confirmed in a statement from the state-owned Basra Oil Company.
Basra Oil Company stated that the pilot operation began on September 13 and lasted two days, during which slightly over six million liters of crude oil, equivalent to about 38,000 barrels, were transported on 209 tanker trucks with a capacity of 30,000 liters each.
Salim Al-Rukaiby, spokesperson for the Iraqi Ministry of Oil, said, “The contract with Kar Group is for a total quantity loaded in hoppers and the daily loaded quantities depend on the number of daily used tankers, loading spouts, road conditions, security permits, and logistical matters.”
Kar Group has not yet responded to a request for comment.
Ministry of Oil figures indicate that current flows from northern Iraq to the Turkish port of Ceyhan are estimated at around 200,000 barrels per day, down from nearly 250,000 before the war with Iran.
Sources at Basra Oil Company said the project faces logistical challenges, including limited available trucks and restricted loading infrastructure in southern oil fields.
The initial quantities are still too small to significantly increase exports from the north without a significant increase in transport and loading capacities.
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