Iraq is facing difficulties in exporting oil from both its northern and southern fields, the Middle East Economic Survey reports in its Monday edition.
Exports of Kirkuk crude through the Turkish port of Ceyhan will be delayed until mid-April, the industry specialists say.
"Technical problems in Kirkuk, mainly rising water cut, have delayed pumping to Ceyhan for the time being," MEES says.
Iraq auctioned six million barrels of Kirkuk crude in March (200,000 per day for the month) and was planning to have a back-to-back sale of a monthly average of 270,000 bpd in March and April, MEES notes.
And plans to export around 250,000-300,000 bpd of Basrah Light from Khor al-Amaya are also in trouble.
"The major international firms are reluctant to send their vessels to the offshore facility in the northern Gulf, despite the fact that SOMO (State Oil Marketing Organisation) has offered a 0.10 cents a barrel discount for crude loaded during March and April," says the weekly newsletter.
"SOMO is considering asking a specialised firm to survey the route and the safety of the infrastructure of the old export facility to reassure the international oil companies."
Only five vessels have loaded so far from the Khor al-Amaya facility which has been open for around a month. Exports in March have averaged only about 100,000 bpd, with the crude destined mainly for India, MEES says.
On Thursday, an explosion set ablaze a major oil well west of Kirkuk that feeds exports through Turkey.
Oil-rich Iraq has been struggling to reopen its export pipelines, which have been repeatedly attacked, particularly in the north, by insurgents fighting the continuing US-led occupation.
And on Wednesday officials said Iraq's main oil export pipeline from the southern town of Basra to the Faw pensinsula was on fire due to a technical fault.
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