Iraq 's crude oil flow from Kirkuk oil fields to the Mediterranean port of Ceyhan was still on hold Tuesday because of power failure at pumping stations inside Turkey , an Iraqi oil ministry spokesman said.

Meantime, Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said in a press release that the flow resumed Tuesday using an alternative pipeline after a blast on the main pipeline in Turkish territories Monday.

"We have tried to pump oil in the pipeline earlier today (Tuesday) but power failure at pumping stations in Turkey deemed our attempts a failure," Assem Jihad told Dow Jones Newswires.

A shipping agent in the Ceyhan port, however, said that the flow was resumed at earlier Tuesday but was stopped again after a short time. He gave no reason why the flow was suspended.

Before the incident, blamed on the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, known as PKK and listed as a terrorist group by Turkey , Iraq was pumping some 20,000 barrels an hour or 480,000 barrels a day, according to a Middle East shipping agent in Ceyhan.

Διαβάστε ακόμα