Rebels cut Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline for second time in two weeks
07 August 2012
An explosion on August 5 near the southeastern town of Midyat in Turkey has cut the oil pipeline from Kirkuk in northern Iraq to the Turkish Mediterranean port at Ceyhan. A second line that runs parallel was not harmed, but has also been shut down temporarily as a precaution, Turkish officials said.
Local media reports said Kurdish rebels from the PKK group had caused the blast, and are also believed to be behind a similar explosion at the pipeline on July 20. Repairs are expected to take up to ten days.
The two pipelines carry about 25 million tons of crude oil a year, about a quarter of total Iraqi crude exports.