Iraqi oil exports surged by about 330,000 b/d in December to 4.143 million b/d, Iraq's State Oil Marketing Organization said Thursday, recovering from rough weather in November that had led to a fall in loadings from the southern port of Basra.
Production was little changed in December, rising just 10,000 b/d to 4.465 million b/d, SOMO said in a statement.
Platts estimated Iraq's December production at 4.67 million b/d in its latest OPEC survey.
Both data sets include production from the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region.
The oil ministry reported last week that federal Iraqi exports from the southern Gulf terminals rose 25,000 b/d on the month to 3.63 million b/d in December.
Federal exports of Kirkuk crude via pipeline through the Kurdistan region to the Turkish port of Ceyhan surged to 99,000 b/d in December from 9,000 b/d in November.
The figures imply that exports by the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government from Ceyhan totaled 411,000 b/d in December, down from 437,000 b/d in November.
They also imply that domestic consumption -- for power generation and refining -- was 322,000 b/d, a significant drop from November's 646,000 b/d.
The ministry said last week it plans to keep output steady at 4.513 million b/d for the next six months, a rate which is in line with the 140,000 b/d cut from its October level agreed at the last OPEC meeting.
In November, the Iraqi cabinet sent a budget to parliament that estimates 3.88 million b/d of oil exports at $56/b for 2019, according to a draft seen by Platts.
