Turkey's Iranian crude oil imports steady in July

LONDON, Aug 6 (Reuters) - Turkey's imports of Iranian crude oil held steady in July at just over 100,000 barrels per day (bpd), in line with the previous 10 months, data from a shipping source and Reuters AIS Live ship tracking showed. Two tankers delivered 145,000 tonnes each of Iranian crude oil to the import terminal of Tutunciftlik and a tanker of similar size discharged Iranian oil at Aliaga. Turkey's imports are down from its 2011 average of around 185,000 bpd, prior to the imposition of Western sanctions against Iran. Those are aimed at blocking funding for an Iranian nuclear programme, which the United States and the European Union suspect is for making weapons. Tehran denies this. Tupras, Turkey's sole refining company, is the buyer of the Iranian crude. In June, Tupras General Manager Yavuz Erkut told reporters that the company was importing 105,000 bpd and expected to import a total of 5.5 million to 5.6 million tonnes in 2013, down from 7.2 million tonnes in 2012. Turkey's energy minister Taner Yildiz said at the beginning of August that there were no plans to reduce the country's purchases significantly, after the United States passed a bill to tighten oil sanctions further. Since the imposition of sanctions, it has become even more difficult for Mediterranean refineries to find alternative sour grades. More Russian oil has been going to Asia and exports of Iraqi Kirkuk have become increasingly unreliable. Pumping through the Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline has been mostly down since June 21 due to severe leaks and sabotage. (Reporting by Julia Payne; Editing by Dale Hudson)