No oil flow until payment guarantees secured, APIKUR says

Shafaq News/ Eight international oil companies operating in the Kurdistan Region announced on Friday that they will not resume oil exports through Turkiye’s Ceyhan port, despite Baghdad’s declaration that shipments would restart soon.

The Association of the Petroleum Industry of Kurdistan (APIKUR), which represents 60% of the Region’s oil production, stated that no formal communication had been received regarding commercial agreements or payment guarantees for past and future exports.

"To clarify, APIKUR member companies will not resume oil exports today," said Miles Caggins, APIKUR’s spokesperson.

APIKUR’s members include Gulf Keystone Petroleum, DNO, Genel Energy, and Shamaran Petroleum, all key operators in the Kurdistan Region’s oil sector.

Meanwhile, Iraq’s Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Affairs and Oil Minister Hayyan Abdul Ghani announced that Kurdistan’s oil exports via Ceyhan would resume "within hours." Speaking during a visit to Khor Al-Zubair port to oversee gas pipeline operations, he stated that initial shipments would start at 185,000 barrels per day and gradually increase to meet federal budget allocations.