Ceyhan

Ceyhan is a port city on Turkey's Mediterranean coast and the western terminal of the Iraq-Turkey Pipeline (ITP), one of Iraq's two primary crude oil export routes. The pipeline carries Kirkuk crude from northern Iraq through Kurdistan to Ceyhan, where it loads onto tankers bound for European and Asian refineries. As of early April 2026, Iraqi exports via the Ceyhan route had collapsed by 43% to 135,000 barrels per day, a direct consequence of the Iran-Israel war disrupting regional logistics and shipping confidence.

Ceyhan also serves as the terminus of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline, which carries Azerbaijani Caspian crude. The port handles roughly 1 million barrels per day under normal conditions across both pipelines, making it one of the Mediterranean's most strategically significant energy hubs. Its importance is amplified whenever Gulf exports are disrupted, as buyers seek alternative non-Hormuz supply routes.

The drop in Iraqi Ceyhan exports represents a significant secondary effect of the 2026 conflict: even supply routes geographically distant from the Strait of Hormuz are being squeezed by war-risk insurance costs, tanker reluctance, and buyer caution. For European refiners already adjusting to post-Russia sanctions supply chains, a further contraction in Ceyhan throughput tightens an already constrained market and adds upward pressure on Brent Crude.