Iraq moves ahead with Plans for New Oil Export Pipelines

Iraq's Ministry of Oil is advancing plans to develop two crude oil export pipelines linking Basra to Turkey and Syria through Haditha, as part of efforts to diversify export routes and reduce dependence on southern shipping outlets.

The system anchors at a major hub in Haditha, western Iraq, fed by a proposed 56-inch pipeline running from the southern oil fields around Basra. From Haditha, the network splits into two primary routes: Western Branch (to Syria): Extends toward the Mediterranean port of Baniyas in Syria, and Northern Branch (to Turkey): Extends toward Fishkhabur to connect with Turkey’s export infrastructure and the Ceyhan network.

Each downstream branch is planned to carry approximately 1 million barrels per day (bpd), providing a combined system capacity of around 2 million bpd.

The integrated corridor and network projects are estimated to carry a multi-billion-dollar price tag (with related rehabilitation and expansion efforts scoped up to roughly $15 billion).

Construction of an oil pipeline from Iraq to Syria's Mediterranean coast could start as early as the first quarter of next year, said the Chief Executive of the Syrian Petroleum Company Yousef Qiblawy. The project is in the front-end engineering design phase and work is ongoing to make the port of Baniyas ready to handle Iraqi crude oil.

The diversification push is driven by maritime shipping constraints and security risks around the Strait of Hormuz, alongside interim steps like regional trade and trucked fuel exchanges