Iraq is studying the construction of a strategic oil pipeline linking the southern city of Basra with Kirkuk and extending to Turkey and Syria as part of efforts to reduce its dependence on the Strait of Hormuz for crude exports, said Oil Minister Basim Mohammed Khudair.

Speaking to the Iraqi News Agency (INA) in Washington on Saturday, Khudair said the government is pursuing a long-term strategy to diversify the country’s oil export routes and strengthen energy security.

“The ministry has a clear vision and strategy based on diversifying Iraqi oil export routes and not relying solely on the Strait of Hormuz,” he said.

According to the minister, Iraq has signed a memorandum of understanding with a consortium that includes US energy company Chevron, TE Capital and Qatar-based UCC to support the initiative.

Khudair said the proposed project involves a feasibility study for a pipeline running from Basra to Kirkuk and onward to the Turkish Mediterranean port of Ceyhan. Authorities are also examining the possibility of extending a branch of the pipeline to the Syrian coastal city of Baniyas.

Located in northwestern Syria, Baniyas is home to one of the country’s main oil refineries and a Mediterranean export terminal. It previously served as the endpoint of an overland pipeline carrying Iraqi crude from Kirkuk, although that route has remained largely inactive for years due to conflict and international sanctions.

Iraq, the second-largest oil producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), has long relied on the Strait of Hormuz as its principal route for exporting crude oil. The proposed pipeline is expected to provide an alternative outlet and improve the resilience of the country’s energy export infrastructure.

Source: Al Jazeera