Crews are struggling to repair Iraq's northern oil pipeline and no exports to Turkey are expected for at least two more weeks, oil officials said.
Work to restart exports has been hampered by sabotage attacks over the past two months on a pipeline complex in the Riyad area southwest of the oil centre of Kirkuk and by lawlessness in the region.
"Repairs will keep taking time in this situation," one official familiar with the operations said.
Sabotage and old infrastructure have kept exports through Turkey's Ceyhan port mostly idle since the war two years ago.
The northern pipeline briefly carried 250,000 barrels per day (bpd) compared to 800,000 bpd before the war -- below the 1.6 million bpd it was designed to handle.
Oil officials had hoped that attacks on oil facilities would lessen after Iraq held general elections on January 30, but sabotage has continued.
Post-war Iraq has been depending on oil exports of around 1.4 million bpd from the less violent south to earn foreign currency and the country is seeking foreignassistance to overhaul its two southern terminals offshore in the Gulf.
Shipping data showed the tanker Antonis Angelicoussis loading from the Basra terminal, formerly known as Mina Al Bakr, at 21,000 barrels per hour.

