Iraq, Ceyhan pipeline flow still halted after glitch

A technical problem on a pipeline that halted Iraq's crude oil exports to Turkey's Mediterranean port of Ceyhan is taking longer to fix than expected, a source at Iraq's North Oil Co said on Saturday.

The technical fault halted oil flow from Iraq's northern fields to Ceyhan late on Thursday. Pumping might be restored on Sunday, the source said.

"Our technical team is still continuing repair actions to the damaged parts and we expect to restart the flow on Sunday morning," the source said.

The source, who asked not to be identified, had said on Friday that Iraqi oil officials expected the flow of crude on the Kirkuk to Ceyhan pipeline to be restored to normal levels the same day as the problem was not a grave one.

The 960 km (600 mile) pipeline carries an average of 500,000 barrels of oil per day from Iraq to Ceyhan, where it is loaded onto tankers for export.

Sabotage and technical problems kept the Iraq-Turkey route mostly idle until 2007 following the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq.

Security has improved but insurgents still target the pipeline from time to time and it also suffers frequent technical issues because of its age and poor maintenance over the years.