Iraq’s K1 station in Kirkuk receives 1st shipment of Basra crude for export

Iraq’s North Oil Company said Thursday that a station in Kirkuk, northern Iraq had received its first shipment of crude oil from Basra after rehabilitation work was completed, with its operational capacity expanded, and with the oil later destined for a port in southern Türkiye.

According to remarks carried by the Iraqi News Agency (INA), station manager Sarmad Mohammed said the K1 station began receiving its first crude shipments transported by dozens of tankers from Basra, with unloading operations starting immediately upon arrival.

He said the station currently has a capacity of 90,000 barrels per day, adding that tankers are continuing to arrive and unload on an ongoing basis.

Mohammed said the crude is transferred directly after unloading to storage tanks near the K1 station.

Muhammad Abdul Rahim, the official in charge of the K1 tank field unit, said the tanks represent the second stage of the process and are capable of holding hundreds of thousands of barrels of crude oil.

He added that unloading and transfer operations were proceeding smoothly on the first day without any recorded obstacles.

According to Abdul Rahim, the crude will be pumped under official directives to the Saralo station northwest of Kirkuk and from there to the Turkish port of Ceyhan, Adana for export.

Last month, Iraq’s North Oil Company said it resumed oil exports through Türkiye’s Ceyhan port, restarting crude flows from the Kirkuk fields after nearly three years of suspension.