Repairs in damaged oil pipeline completed

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com – Iraq’s Oil Ministry has completed repairs in the damaged oil pipeline carrying crude from north Iraq’s Kirkuk fields through Turkey, and pumping resumed after mid Monday night, Oil Ministry’s official spokesman said.   “The Oil Ministry has completed repairs in the damaged Iraqi-Turkish oil pipeline, exporting crude oil to the Turkish Ceyhan Terminal on the Mediterranean, that was damaged in a corrupt act in northern Iraq’s al-Hadhar area, which hampered oil exports,” Assem Jihad told Iraqi News on Tuesday.   Jihad said the repairs have covered the replacement of part of the pipeline that was seriously damaged due to the blast, as well as closing leaks on some   parts of the pipeline.   “Operations to fill in the pipeline began at 12.30 a.m. local time on dawn Tuesday, whilst full pumping resumed with a capacity of 500,000 barrels per day (bpd), in order to cover the shortage caused by the halt of pumping over the past few days, in order to fill the storage tanks in the Turkish Ceyhan Terminal and prepare them for exporting oil through the Mediterranean terminals.   SKH (TI)/SR 500