Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Iraqi Oil Ministry is working on diversifying oil export outlets by constructing a pipeline network that will be extended to ports in Turkey, Syria, and Jordan.
The spokesperson for the Iraqi Oil Ministry, Salim al-Rikabi, told the state-run Iraqi News Agency (INA) on Sunday that the government is studying the construction of the Basra-Haditha-Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline as a new route, with branches from Haditha to the Syrian port of Baniyas and the Jordanian port of Aqaba.
Fluctuations in the global oil market have a significant impact on Iraq’s revenue. However, the most significant impact is the decline in daily export volumes, which have been severely affected by the ongoing war in the region, according to al-Rikabi.
The current conflict in the region has led to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which is a strategically important waterway that transports the majority of Iraq’s oil shipments.
Al-Rikabi explained that the pipeline from southern Iraq to the port of Ceyhan on the Mediterranean will raise oil export volumes via Turkish territory.
The Iraqi official said earlier that the Basra-Haditha oil pipeline needs to be carried out first to transport crude oil to Haditha in the western province of Anbar, and then preparation for the alternate pipeline takes place.
The project’s feasibility study is presently underway, and if completed, the pipeline will serve as an alternative for oil tankers now transporting oil to the Syrian port of Baniyas.
The Iraqi cabinet decided in April to move forward with the implementation of the Basra-Haditha oil pipeline.
According to reports, the project is an Iraqi venture estimated at $4.6 billion aiming to transport crude oil from the southern Iraqi province of Basra to Haditha.
The pipeline’s capacity is projected to be approximately 2.25 million barrels per day using 56-inch diameter pipes. This design aims to enhance domestic transportation and establish connections to future export facilities.
The pipeline will be 685 kilometers long and will serve as the initial phase in the construction of a pipeline network that might eventually extend to Jordan and Syria.
The state-owned Basra Oil Company (BOC) and State Company for Oil Projects (SCOP) are building the project, which is funded by the Iraq-China Framework Agreement.
The pipeline provides a direct path to both the Mediterranean and the Red Sea and, subsequently, to European markets.
Once completed, the project will improve flexibility, as Iraq studies alternative routes to its present seaports to expand export capacity.