Iraq rehabilitates export terminal

South Oil Company (SOC) has begun rehabilitation work on the offshore Khawr Al Amaya Oil Terminal (KAAOT), the Ministry of Oil announced on Thursday.

In a statement on its website, the ministry said the rehabilitation effort would entail dredging and deepening the tanker approach channels. SOC will execute the work in co-operation with the Ministry of Transportation.

The work falls under the scope of the Iraq Crude Export Facility Reconstruction Project, also referred to as the Sealine Project. This endeavour, backed by a Japan International Co-operation Agency loan, will see also see the addition of a third, 48-inch pipeline from the shore to the offshore export terminals.

Iraq’s southern export terminals comprise two main offloading platforms, the Al Basrah Oil Terminal and the Khawr al Amaya Oil Terminal, and three single-point moorings plus a spare buoy, installed over three phases. The spare was converted to operational status as part of phase two. Of Al Basrah Oil Terminal’s four SPM’s, three are in continuous operation. In December, the terminals shipped a record 3.51 million bopd.

Earlier in January, the Ministry of Oil said that the wreckage of the very large crude carrier Amuriyah had finally been removed in full. The vessel was attacked by US Navy aircraft as part of Operation Desert Storm. Due to its proximity to the Al Basrah Oil Terminal at a depth of 33 metres and within the tanker turning circle, the wreck had become a headache for the Iraq Crude Oil Export Expansion Project.

In related news, officials late last week elaborated on Iraq’s gas figures. According to South Gas Company Director Ihsan Abdul Jabbar, production in Southern Iraq will increase from 19.8 mcm (700 mcf) to 25.5 mcm (900 mcf) in 2017. He also said gas condensates exports would rise to 400,000 cubic metres this year, up from the 268,000 cubic metres realised in 2016. LPG exports would more than triple to 100,000 tonnes, Jabbar told Reuters on Sunday.

According to Ministry of Oil spokesperson Assim Jihad, associated gas production for the whole of Iraq stood at 36.8 mcm (1.3 bcf) at the end of the year. Basrah Gas Company is responsible for a large share of output, Jihad also said. He noted that the company’s production had increased from an average of 16.1 mcm (570 mcf) in 2016 to 21.4 mcm (756 mcf) at present.