Iraq Plans to Raise Oil Exports Above One Million Barrels a Day Through Syria and Turkey | Ukraine news

A revived pipeline network could reshape how Iraqi crude reaches international markets and reduce the country’s reliance on existing shipping routes.

Iraq plans to increase oil exports through Syria and Turkey to more than 1 million barrels per day. To achieve this, the country intends to expand pipeline routes to Syria’s Baniyas port and Turkey’s Ceyhan port.

According to a report by SANA.

Iraqi Oil Minister Bassem Mohammed Khudair announced the plans, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency, SANA.

In September, Iraq is exporting around 3 million barrels of oil per day and complying with its OPEC production quota. The country’s current production capacity does not exceed 4.2 million barrels per day.

– Iraqi Oil Minister Bassem Mohammed Khudair

According to Khudair, Iraq will eventually be able to transport more than 1 million barrels of oil per day through Syria and Ceyhan. At the same time, the country’s government plans to increase total export capacity to 5 million barrels per day.

New Routes for Iraqi Oil Exports

The expansion of exports is linked to the completion of strategic oil pipelines toward Fishkhabur and Baniyas in Syria. At the same time, Iraq will retain its existing supply routes through the Strait of Hormuz.

On July 18, Syria signed two memorandums of understanding with Iraq and a consortium of international companies. The documents provide for the restoration and launch of the Kirkuk–Baniyas oil pipeline, which was previously one of the region’s key routes for transporting Iraqi oil.

The development of pipeline infrastructure should help Iraq diversify its export routes, reduce its dependence on individual transportation corridors, and increase the volume of oil supplied to international markets.