Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline ready for test pumping within two weeks, North Oil says

KIRKUK, Iraq — Preparations on the Iraq-Turkey pipeline running from Kirkuk to Turkey's Ceyhan port have been completed, with a test pumping operation due to begin within two weeks, an official at the state-run North Oil Company said. The trial will be followed by a return to steady crude exports, the official added. The official said the company's technical and engineering work on the line is finished and the pipeline is ready for pumping tests. The 42-inch pipeline is designed to carry crude from southern oilfields to gathering stations in Kirkuk and onward to Ceyhan, according to the same source. The same official said the domestic Kirkuk-Bayji-Haditha-Basra route has also been restarted, describing it as one of the strategic corridors for moving crude inside Iraq. Operating both lines together is expected to support the country's oil infrastructure and improve the efficiency of its crude transport network, the official said. Separately, Iraq has pushed to extend the existing agreement covering the Kirkuk-Ceyhan route by at least one year. The current deal is set to expire on July 27, and the two sides are continuing talks on a new arrangement, with no further details immediately available.