Iraq stops oil supplies to Jordan
03-02-2014 09:59 AM
Ammon News - Jordanian government newspaper , cited an unnamed Jordanian official on Sunday , that all supplies of Iraqi oil have been stopped to Jordan , attributing the reason for security situation in Anbar province.
Some areas of Anbar province, the most prominent Fallujah and Ramadi are still under the control of the armed " Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant " organization ( Daash ) , according to security and local Iraqisources.
Al-Rai Jordanian newspaper said , citing a source , that "the supplies of oil from Iraq to the kingdom have almost stopped two days ago because of the poor security situation in Anbar region , which lies on the border between the two countries ."
It added that "Jordan imports about 10 to 12 000 barrels of Iraqi crude oil per day at preferential prices, and less than 18 dollars per barrel on the world market price , make up 10 % of its oil needs by imports , mostly from Saudi Arabia."
As hundreds of Iraqi tanks transfer oil from Baiji refinery north of Baghdad to the Jordanian border through a distance of 750 km and then unloaded from the tanks and transferred to al-Zarkaa Jordanian refinery in the Jordanian capital Amman, a distance of 300 km .
Iraq and Jordan had signed last April in an agreement framework to build a pipeline to transport Iraqi crude oil from Basra in southern Iraq , to the export ports in the Jordanian port of Aqaba on the far south of the kingdom 's Red Sea coast .
Iraq, which has the third oil reserves in the world estimated at 143 billion barrels , after Saudi Arabia and Iran hopes that the construction of this pipeline would lead to increase its oil exports and make diversify in outlets .
The bulk of Iraqi crude oil is being exported through the outlets of the south near Basra port, but a large amount is also transferred through the oil pipeline , which connects Kirkuk city with the port of Ceyhan.
*Zawya