Between November 1 and 20, Iraq’s crude oil exports from the south averaged 3.5 million bpd, up by 150,000 bpd from October and close to record highs, as Baghdad tries to offset the drop in exports from the northern route from Kirkuk to Ceyhan after Iraqi forces reclaimed control of Kirkuk oil fields from Kurdish forces in mid-October. According to shipping data tracked by Reuters and to an industry source tracking, the southern Iraqi exports so far this month have been just below the 3.51 million bpd record of December last year, when Iraq exported the highest volume out of the south before the OPEC production cuts kicked in from January this year. “It seems they managed to get there,” the industry source told Reuters, referring to Iraq’s ability to boost oil exports from the south to compensate for lost shipments in the north. Still, so far this month, […]