Latest news with #APIKUR
Al Arabiya
18-07-2025
- Business
- Al Arabiya
Iraq's Kurdish oil exports restart is not imminent
A restart of Iraq's Kurdish oil exports is not imminent, sources close to the matter said on Friday, despite Iraq's federal government saying on Thursday that shipments would resume immediately. Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government have been in negotiations since February to end a stand-off that has halted flows from the north of the country to Turkey's port of Ceyhan. The KRG was producing about 435,000 barrels per day (bpd) before the pipeline closure in March 2023. On Thursday the federal government said that Iraqi Kurdistan would resume oil exports immediately through the pipeline to Turkey despite drone attacks that have shut down half of the region's output. But on Friday a source at APIKUR, a group of oil companies working in Kurdistan, said that a restart depended on the receipt of written agreements. Another at KAR Group, which operates the pipeline, said that no preparations had been made for a restart. Baghdad and the companies have not yet agreed how to restart the exports, a KRG government source said, while a source at Turkey's Ceyhan said there was also no preparation at the terminal for a restart of flows. On Thursday, a statement from KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said the government had approved a joint understanding with the federal government and it was awaiting financial details. Similar agreements in the past failed to secure a resumption in exports and it remains unclear if this deal will succeed. Oil companies working in Kurdistan have previously demanded that their production-sharing contracts should remain unchanged and their debts of nearly $1 billion be settled under any agreement. On Friday Genel Energy and Gulf Keystone Petroleum declined to comment, while DNO, Hunt Oil and HKN Energy did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Drone attacks Oilfields in Iraqi Kurdistan have been attacked by drones this week, with officials pointing to Iran-backed militias as the likely source of the attacks, although no group has claimed responsibility. They are the first such attacks on oilfields in the region and coincide with the first attacks in seven months on shipping in the Red Sea by Iran-aligned Houthi militants in Yemen. On Thursday a strike hit an oilfield operated by Norway's DNO in Tawke, the region's counter-terrorism service said. It was the week's second strike on a site operated by DNO, which operates the Tawke and Peshkabour oilfields in the Zakho area that borders Turkey. No casualties have been reported, but oil output in the region has been cut by between 140,000 bpd and 150,000 bpd, two energy officials said.
Arab News
18-07-2025
- Business
- Arab News
Iraq's Kurdish oil exports restart is not imminent
BAGHDAD/LONDON: A restart of Iraq's Kurdish oil exports is not imminent, sources close to the matter said on Friday, despite Iraq's federal government saying on Thursday that shipments would resume immediately. Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government have been in negotiations since February to end a stand-off that has halted flows from the north of the country to Turkiye's port of Ceyhan. The KRG was producing about 435,000 barrels per day (bpd) before the pipeline closure in March 2023. On Thursday the federal government said that Iraqi Kurdistan would resume oil exports immediately through the pipeline to Turkiye despite drone attacks that have shut down half of the region's output. But on Friday a source at APIKUR, a group of oil companies working in Kurdistan, said that a restart depended on the receipt of written agreements. Another at KAR Group, which operates the pipeline, said that no preparations had been made for a restart. Baghdad and the companies have not yet agreed how to restart the exports, a KRG government source said, while a source at Turkiye's Ceyhan said there was also no preparation at the terminal for a restart of flows. On Thursday, a statement from KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said the government had approved a joint understanding with the federal government and it was awaiting financial details. Similar agreements in the past failed to secure a resumption in exports and it remains unclear if this deal will succeed. Oil companies working in Kurdistan have previously demanded that their production-sharing contracts should remain unchanged and their debts of nearly $1 billion be settled under any agreement. On Friday Genel Energy and Gulf Keystone Petroleum declined to comment, while DNO, Hunt Oil and HKN Energy did not immediately respond to requests for comment. DRONE ATTACKS Oilfields in Iraqi Kurdistan have been attacked by drones this week, with officials pointing to Iran-backed militias as the likely source of the attacks, although no group has claimed responsibility. They are the first such attacks on oilfields in the region and coincide with the first attacks in seven months on shipping in the Red Sea by Iran-aligned Houthi militants in Yemen. On Thursday a strike hit an oilfield operated by Norway's DNO in Tawke, the region's counter-terrorism service said. It was the week's second strike on a site operated by DNO, which operates the Tawke and Peshkabour oilfields in the Zakho area that borders Turkiye. No casualties have been reported, but oil output in the region has been cut by between 140,000 bpd and 150,000 bpd, two energy officials said.
Asharq Al-Awsat
18-07-2025
- Business
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Iraq's Kurdish Oil Exports Restart is Not Imminent
A restart of Iraq's Kurdish oil exports is not imminent, sources close to the matter said on Friday, despite Iraq's federal government saying on Thursday that shipments would resume immediately. Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government have been in negotiations since February to end a stand-off that has halted flows from the north of the country to Türkiye's port of Ceyhan. The KRG was producing about 435,000 barrels per day (bpd) before the pipeline closure in March 2023, Reuters reported. On Thursday the federal government said that Iraqi Kurdistan would resume oil exports immediately through the pipeline to Türkiye's despite drone attacks that have shut down half of the region's output. But on Friday a source at APIKUR, a group of oil companies working in Kurdistan, said that a restart depended on the receipt of written agreements. Another at KAR Group, which operates the pipeline, said that no preparations had been made for a restart. Baghdad and the companies have not yet agreed how to restart the exports, a KRG government source said, while a source at Türkiye's Ceyhan said there was also no preparation at the terminal for a restart of flows. On Thursday, a statement from KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said the government had approved a joint understanding with the federal government and it was awaiting financial details. Similar agreements in the past failed to secure a resumption in exports and it remains unclear if this deal will succeed. Oil companies working in Kurdistan have previously demanded that their production-sharing contracts should remain unchanged and their debts of nearly $1 billion be settled under any agreement. Oilfields in Iraqi Kurdistan have been attacked by drones this week, with officials pointing to Iran-backed militias as the likely source of the attacks, although no group has claimed responsibility. They are the first such attacks on oilfields in the region and coincide with the first attacks in seven months on shipping in the Red Sea by Iran-aligned Houthi militants in Yemen. On Thursday a strike hit an oilfield operated by Norway's DNO in Tawke, the region's counter-terrorism service said. It was the week's second strike on a site operated by DNO, which operates the Tawke and Peshkabour oilfields in the Zakho area that borders Türkiye. No casualties have been reported, but oil output in the region has been cut by between 140,000 bpd and 150,000 bpd, two energy officials said.
Iraqi News
17-07-2025
- Business
- Iraqi News
Northern Iraq oil site struck by drone for second consecutive day
Erbil – A drone loaded with explosives struck an oil field in Iraq's northern Kurdistan region on Thursday, Kurdish forces said — the second attack in two days on the Norwegian-operated site. 'At 10:55 am (0755 GMT) a new attack by an explosives-laden drone hit' the DNO-operated Tawke field in Zakho disrict, Kurdistan's counterterrorism services said. No casualties or damage were reported. Similar attacks on Wednesday forced the Norwegian firm to suspend operations at the Tawke and Peshkabir oil fields. Another two attacks targeted an oil field operated by the US firm Hunt Oil in Duhok province. In the past few weeks, Kurdistan has seen a spate of unclaimed drone attacks, which have come as the regional government and the federal authorities in Baghdad wrangle over control of export revenues from the Kurdistan fields. Several oil fields in the region have been hit in the space of a week. The Association of the Petroleum Industry of Kurdistan (APIKUR) — which represents international oil firms in the region, including DNO, and Hunt — condemned the attacks Wednesday. It added that the majority of its members have suspended production 'totalling over 200,000 barrels per day'. Long plagued by conflict, Iraq frequently experiences such attacks, often linked to regional proxy struggles between Iran and the United States and its ally Israel. There has been no claim of responsibility for any of the past week's attacks, and Baghdad has promised an investigation to identify the culprits. But a Kurdish official, who requested anonymity, blamed the recent attacks on the Popular Mobilisation Forces — Hashed al-Shaabi in Arabic — a coalition of pro-Iran former paramilitaries now integrated into the regular armed forces. 'We hold the Iraqi government responsible because they are funding the PMF, which is attacking the oil infrastructure,' he told AFP Wednesday.
Iraq Business
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Iraq Business
Another Iraqi Oilfield Attacked by Drone
By John Lee. The Kurdistan Regional Government's Ministry of Natural Resources has confirmed reports of another attack on oil facilities in Northern Iraq. According to a statement on Wednesday, the Ain Safni oil field in the Sheikhan district of Duhok Governorate was attacked by drone. Ain Sifni is operated by US-based Hunt Oil. The KRG continued: "While no casualties were reported, the attacks inflicted significant damage on the infrastructure of these vital oil fields." This is the latest in an apparent series of attacks targeting oil infrastructure in the Region. " The Ministry of Natural Resources strongly condemns these terrorist acts, which are intended to damage the economic infrastructure of the Kurdistan Region and endanger the safety of civilian employees working in the energy sector. "The Ministry calls on all relevant stakeholders within the federal government and the international community to take immediate and decisive measures to protect civil servants, strengthen energy security, and prevent further attacks on the Kurdistan Region's energy infrastructure. The Ministry also reaffirms its commitment to safeguarding energy workers and maintaining its strategic role in ensuring both regional and global energy stability. " The Association of the Petroleum Industry of Kurdistan (APIKUR) said it strongly condemns attacks, adding: " These attacks threatened the lives and safety of our predominantly Iraqi workforce and expatriate staff of various nationalities, and also damaged facilities. "Following the strikes, the operators are assessing damage to production and other field facilities. The majority of APIKUR member companies, including those not targeted, have announced suspension of production totaling over 200,000 barrels per day. " (Sources: KRG, APIKUR)
