Suspected Sabotage in Turkey Stops Oil Flow in Pipeline from Iraq

World | July 29, 2015, Wednesday // 13:45
Bulgaria: Suspected Sabotage in Turkey Stops Oil Flow in Pipeline from Iraq

Turkey has halted the flow of oil in the Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline, which was damaged in a suspected sabotage act inside its territory near the border with Iraq, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported on Wednesday.

The Turkish news agency quoted the country's Energy Minister Taner Yildiz as saying the pipeline the suspected sabotage has taken 18 kilometres inside the Cizre district of Sirnak province.

The pipeline is carrying oil from Kirkuk region in northern Iraq to Ceyhan, a port on the south-eastern Mediterranean coast of Turkey.

"Just after the explosion we've closed the oil valves to stop extra oil flow. We have taken measures and the attack won't have an effect on oil supply and demand," Yildiz said, according to AA.

There has been no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, the second attack on a major pipeline in Turkey in less than 24 hours.

An explosion in Turkey’s Agri province, suspectedly carried out by militants of the outlawed Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK), halted gas transport along a pipeline linking Turkey and Iran late on Monday.

The Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline has a maximum operational capacity of 400,000 barrels per day, but actual flows are around 300,000 barrels per day due to attacks on the pipeline, which frequently disrupt the operation, the state-run news agency said, citing the Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq's Reconstruction. 

Yildiz made no reference to any party suspected of the attack on the oil pipeline but said that Turkey's energy system has suffered many attacks recently. He added that terrorists are taking aim at Turkey's strategic position, stability and development, according to AA.

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Tags: turkey, Iraq, Iran, oil, gas, explosion, blast

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