Oil storage tanks at the Turkish port of Ceyhan
Iraq’s tangled Ceyhan oil web
KRG, Iraq’s central government and Turkey are all working to get exports flowing from the key port, but complications remain
The central government in Baghdad and the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) in Erbil have reached an agreement to restart oil exports via the Turkish port of Ceyhan. Under the agreement, the KRG will immediately start supplying 230,000b/d to state oil marketer SOMO. The KRG’s production is estimated at 280,000b/d, of which 50,000b/d is assigned for local consumption within the region. The KRG was producing about 435,000b/d before the pipeline closure in March 2023. Turkey halted the link that carried about 0.5m b/d of oil following an arbitration court’s order to pay Iraq $1.5b. The court ordered the payment for oil transfers made between 2014 and 2018 without Baghdad’s consent. Turkey blame
Also in this section
9 March 2026
Petroleum Economist analysis sees increases in output from Saudi Arabia, Venezuela and Kazakhstan among others before region’s murky descent
9 March 2026
Energy sanctions are becoming an increasingly prominent tool of US foreign policy, with the country’s growth in oil and gas production allowing it to impose pressure on rivals without jeopardising its own energy security or that of its allies, argues Matthew McManus, a visiting fellow at the National Center for Energy Analytics
6 March 2026
The March 2026 issue of Petroleum Economist is out now!
6 March 2026
After Europe’s rapid buildout of floating LNG import capacity, Exmar CEO Carl-Antoine Saverys says future growth in floating gas infrastructure will increasingly be driven by developing markets as lower prices, rising energy demand and the need to replace coal unlock new opportunities for unconventional and tailor-made solutions
