The strong earthquake in Turkey and the aftershocks that followed it yesterday are causing disruptions in the operations of the country’s seaports. According to reports, the port of Jihan (Ceyhan) to the shores of the Mediterranean used to export oil is one of the disabled ports, due to its proximity to the epicenter of the earthquake that was felt in Turkey on Monday night.
This port normally receives crude oil from two large pipelines – one from Azerbaijan through Georgia and the other from Karkuch in northern Iraq. According to the data, this port exported over 1 million barrels per day last January – equivalent to 1% of the global oil supply.
According to reports, export activity at the port will return to normal on February 9. Now the oil is pumped out of the pipelines and stored in port facilities.
Another port that was shut down is the port of Eskandron. According to videos posted online yesterday, a large fire broke out in the port’s container complex. The fire continued as of Monday morning in the port located in southeastern Turkey. According to sources at the port, the fire broke out after containers overturned during the earthquake.