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Al Başrah Oil Terminal, commonly referred to asABOT, is a strategically criticalIraqi offshore, deep sea crude oil marine loading terminal that lies approximately 50 km (31 mi) southeast of theAl-Faw Peninsula in thePersian Gulf. Along with its sister terminal, theKhawr al ‘Amīyah Oil Terminal (ميناء خور العمية, alt.Khor al-Amaya Oil Terminal,KAAOT), the terminals provide the principal point of export for more than eighty percent of Iraq'sgross domestic product as of 2009[update],[1] and all of the oil from the southern Başrah refinery.
Crude oil produced for export from the southern Iraqi oilfields is carried through three 48 in (1.2 m)[2] diameter pipelines to the southern tip of theal-Faw Peninsula and then undersea to the ABOT() platform.[3][4] One 48 in (1.2 m)[5] and two 32 in (0.81 m) pipelines supply the KAAOT() platform.[3][6][7][8]
The ABOT facilities can transfer up to 3 million barrels (480,000 m3) (Mbbl) of oil per day when all four of itssupertanker berths operate at maximum capacity and has a maximum draft of 21 m (69 ft).[9] Threesingle-point mooring systems (SPM) were added in 2012,[10] each with a design rating of 800 thousand barrels (130,000 m3) (kbbl) of oil per day,[11] and two more SPMs are planned to be operational by 2013 to increase total loading capacity to 6.4–6.6 Mbbl (1,020,000–1,050,000 m3) of oil per day.[5]
The KAAOT facility has a shallower depth and its two berths can accommodate Suezmax oil tankers with capacities up to 1 Mbbl (160,000 m3) or 200,000DWT and has the capacity to transfer about 240 kbbl (38,000 m3) of oil daily.[12]
ABOT was originally namedMīnā' al-Bakr Oil Terminal and was designed and commissioned into service byBrown & Root in 1974 with a design lifetime, with proper maintenance, of 20 years.[8] In 2003, the current nameABOT was adopted. The facility was constructed with four berths capable of handlingvery large crude carrier type vessels (VLCC) and offloading 300–400 kbbl (48,000–64,000 m3) per day through each of the berths. The ABOT suffered significant damage during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq War; however, it remained in service until 1989, when Brown & Root attempted to refurbish it after the conclusion of that war. Work was stopped when Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990 and the facility was inflicted with further damage during the ensuing Gulf War. In addition, the platform was operated under theOil-for-Food Programme for several years thereafter with minimal maintenance.
TheMīnā' Khawr al ‘Amīyah Oil Terminal (KAAOT) was built in 1958 and had fallen into extreme disrepair and would require wholesale reconstruction to restore full capabilities as of 2007[update]. The shallow draft of its location, however, makes a reconstruction effort of questionable economic value.[12]
After the terminal was secured by SOCOM forces, defense of the platform throughout OIF was provided by USMC, USN, and USCG forces in conjunction with the Iraqi military.
TheUnited States Navy'sMaritime Expeditionary Security Force, which falls under theNaval Expeditionary Combat Command, was responsible for the primary defense of the platforms, as well as the training and deployment of Iraqi Marines on board.
While under US control, the US units enforcing the 3 km (1.9 mi; 1.6 nmi) warning and 2 km (1.2 mi; 1.1 nmi) exclusion zones around ABOT and KAAOT including Maritime interdiction operations were conducted primarily byPatrol Forces Southwest Asia a component of theUnited States Coast Guard comprisingIsland class cutters and United States NavyPatrol craft coastal. United States Coast Guard Port Security Units were assigned to assist the Task Force with the security of these facilities for Coalition partners.
In 2004, the ABOT platform was refurbished and upgraded under contract W9126G-04-D-0002, anindefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ), cost-plus award fee with an estimated not-to-exceed value ofUS$800 million. The contract was between theUnited States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) ofFort Worth andParsons Iraqi Joint Venture (PIJV),Houston. ABOT's capacity was more than doubled to offload up to 3 Mbbl (480,000 m3) of oil per day. Practical constraints in the upstream refinery and oil fields limit actual delivery below the designed maximum.[9][13]
Despite the work conducted, the dilapidated and fragile nature of the terminal was featured in an NPR story on June 20, 2009, and again on October 4, 2010. Engineers interviewed said that "they didn't even know just how bad the condition of the pipeline is; they didn't dare run it at full pressure for fear it would burst, and they didn't dare shut down the flow to fix it for fear that the weight of the ocean would implode it"; the most recent capacity tests were conducted nearly two decades earlier in 1991.[14][15][16]
The Iraqi Ministry of Oil (MoO) Master Plan 2007 included the Iraq Crude Oil Export Expansion Project (ICOEEP) to expand theSouth Oil Company's export capacity from 1.75 Mbbl (278,000 m3) of oil per day (MMBOPD) to 4.5 Mbbl (720,000 m3) of oil per day by 2014.
On July 13, 2010Foster Wheeler was awarded the front-end engineering & management contract for Phase 1 of the ICOEEP,[17]Leighton Offshore was then awarded a US$733 millionEPC contract with work commencing in November, 2010 for delivery in March, 2012[18] for a scope of work to include:[19]
The "first oil ready for start-up" milestone was celebrated on February 12, 2012, with Iraq Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki in attendance. The milestone marked the addition of 800 kbbl (130,000 m3) barrels per day of export capacity via 130 km (81 mi) of onshore pipelines from the Al-Zubair pumping station to the FAO storage facility where eight new crude oil storage tanks, each with a capacity of 350 kbbl (56,000 m3), were brought online with another eight tanks close to operational; these 16 storage tanks represent 25% of the 64 tanks planned for in the ICOEEP. The crude oil then flows offshore through the new twin 48" pipelines to the new 600 MT subsea valve manifold for distribution to twosingle point mooring systems.[20][21] Phase 1 completion will increase overall exports by 1.8 MMBOPD when both SPMs and all sixteen storage tanks are operational. In November, 2012 Leighton Offshore transferred operations of the completed ICOEEP installations.[10] On March 7, 2012, the first tanker was berthed and loaded from one of the 900,000 bpd SPMs installed during Phase 1 of the ICOEEP.[2]
The second phase of the ICOEEP added a central metering and management platform (CMMP), brought three SPMs online, and installed a fourth SPM. The scope of work included:[22][23]
TheEPC contract for Phase 2's Central Metering and Manifold Platform (CMMP) was awarded to Italy'sSaipem in October, 2011 with delivery expected in the fourth quarter of 2013; other Phase 2 facilities include connecting the ABOT platform to the new pipelines via the CMMP.[5][24][25]
The Iraq Crude Oil Export Facility Reconstruction Project (COEFRP) was funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency and includes work to add a third 48 in (1.2 m) diameter pipeline running from shore to the ABOT valve station. New pipelines will also be run from the ABOT valve station to the KAAOT valve station to supply a fifth SPM and the KAAOT loading facilities. In October, 2011, the South Oil Company awarded two contracts worth US$518 million and US$79.85 million toLeighton Offshore for delivery in January, 2013 with a scope of work running in parallel with Phase 1 that includes:[22][26][27][28]
ABOT and KAAOT are major players in Iraq's eventual economic stability and therefore are considered one of the top terrorist targets in the world due to their strategic importance.[7]
On April 30, 2009, the Iraqi Navy assumed control of the Khawr al ‘Amīyah Oil Terminal[29] and on July 26, 2011, they assumed control of ABOT as well.[30][31]
It is the tiled version of the global 15m Landsat 7 derived WMS Global Mosaic, visual. This is the visual style, which uses color derived from the red green and blue spectral and brightness from the panchromatic band.
The Crude Export Facility of Southern Iraq currently exports approximately 1.8 MMBOPD from the KAAOT and ABOT offshore terminals. The oil is transported from onshore facilities to the offshore terminals through two 48 inch export pipelines for ABOT and one 42 inch and two 32 inch pipelines for KAAOT. The KAAOT terminal has previously suffered damage and so the majority of the oil is exported through the ABOT terminal. The current export facilities and pipelines were built in the 1960s and 1970s and designed for a 20 year life, with the proper maintenance.
UMM QASR, Iraq—A U.S. sailor salutes Iraqi Maj. Gen. Ali Hussein Al-Rubaye, head of the Iraqi Navy, after handing him a folded U.S. flag during a ceremony held aboard the Al Basrah Oil Terminal, July 26. (Photo by Pvt. Andrew Slovensky) 110726-A-JX739-139
UMM QASR, Iraq—(Front right) Rear Adm. Charles M. Gaouette, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command deputy commander, and (front left) Iraqi Maj. Gen. Ali Hussein Al-Rubaye, head of the Iraqi Navy, arrive aboard the Al Basrah Oil Terminal for a ceremony turning over responsibility of the security for the platform to the Iraqi Navy, July 26. (Photo by Pvt. Andrew Slovensky)
29°47′00″N48°48′25″E / 29.78333°N 48.80694°E /29.78333; 48.80694 (Khor al-Amaya Oil Terminal)
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