Exports of Iraqi oil to the Turkish port of Ceyhan were interrupted because of sabotage against a pipeline in northern Iraq, the oil ministry said on Tuesday.
The sabotage occurred on Saturday evening, ministry spokesman Assem Jihad said, stressing that no fire had been reported as a result of the incident.
"Exports have been suspended," he said. "Technical teams have been sent to the site to carry out repairs but we do not know how long it will take."
Saturday's attack was the third act of sabotage against the pipeline in two months, Jihad said.
According to the ministry, acts of sabotage carried out by insurgents reduced oil exports in October by four percent compared to the previous month, but overall revenues were higher because of an increase in prices.
Last month, Iraq exported 1.87 million barrels per day (bpd), bringing in 4.2 billion dollars in revenues.
In September, the country exported 1.95 million bpd and raised 3.8 billion dollars.
Iraq currently produces around 2.5 million barrels per day of crude oil, two million barrels of which are intended for export, but Oil Minister Hussein al-Shahristani wants production to be ramped up to between 10 and 12 million bpd within six years.
Around 85 percent of Iraqi government revenues are from oil sales.
Iraq has the world's third largest proven reserves of oil, with more than 115 billion barrels, behind only Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Share This Article With Planet Earth