Iraqi crude loadings more than doubled to average roughly 1.2 million barrels per day in the first half of July, according to Kpler data and a source with direct knowledge of the flows, as exports accelerated following months of restricted shipments.
Crude exports averaged roughly 500,000 bpd in June, Kpler data showed.
Despite the monthly increase, Iraqi crude exports from the southern port of Basra were still down sharply from levels before the Iran war, when they were above 3.2 million bpd before March, according to Kpler.
It was not clear if Iraqi exports can sustain these levels, as a drone strike on a tanker at Basra on Thursday resulted in suspension of all crude oil loadings.
Iraqi Kirkuk crude loadings via Turkey's Ceyhan port have also slowed since the war, averaging 65,000 bpd in July so far, down from nearly 200,000 bpd in February, according to Kpler.
(Reporting by Ahmad Ghaddar. Writing by Enes Tunagur. Editing by Mark Potter)
