Crude oil flows from Kurdistan to Turkey’s port city of Ceyhan continued at rates of between 200,000 and 250,000 bpd over the weekend, versus a normal flow of between 550,000 and 600,000 bpd, sources from the shipping industry told Reuters. Last week, Iraq’s Oil Minister Jabbar Al-Luaibi ordered state-held oil and pipeline companies to begin restoring oil flows from Kirkuk to Ceyhan via a pipeline that bypasses Kurdistan, increasing pressure on the breakaway region, but this has apparently not happened yet. Exports of Kurdish crude began declining last week, after the Iraqi army took over the city of Kirkuk, the oil center of northern Iraq, and surrounding fields. Following the takeover, Kurdistan’s oil minister made a special plea to international oil companies to not quit Kurdish oil, which is essential for the security of the autonomous region. “I plead with you not to forget Kurdistan . The fight [against […]