Agence France Presse

Dubai, March 28:

Iraq is facing difficulties in exporting oil from both its northern and southern fields, the Middle East Economic Survey (MEES) reports in its Monday edition.Exports of Kirkuk crude through the Turkish port of Ceyhan will be delayed until mid-April, the industry specialists say.

"Technical problems in Kirkuk, mainly rising water cut, have delayed pumping to Ceyhan for the time being," MEES says.

Iraq auctioned six million barrels of Kirkuk crude in March (200,000 per day for the month) and was planning to have a back-to-back sale of a monthly average of 270,000 bpd in March and April, MEES notes. And plans to export around 250,000-300,000 bpd of Basrah Light from Khor al-Amaya are also in trouble."The major international firms are reluctant to send their vessels to the offshore facility in the northern Gulf, despite the fact that SOMO (State Oil Marketing Organisation) has offered a 0.10 cents a barrel discount for crude loaded during March and April," reports the weekly newsletter.