Iraq’s southern export capacity stands at “4mn b/d for the time being” according to Ali Nazar al-Shatari, deputy director general of state marketer Somo. That this is considerably less than the 4.6mn b/d officials, including Oil Minister Jabbar al-Luaibi, said had been achieved by end-2017 is symptomatic of the dilapidated nature of much of the infrastructure (MEES, 13 April).
Current southern exports flow entirely from the 1.6mn b/d Basra Oil Terminal (BOT) and three of Basra’s four operational SPMs (each of which has nominal 900,000 b/d capacity). The ageing Khor al-Amaya Terminal (KAAOT; nameplate 600,000 b/d) remains closed following leaks from the 48-inch pipeline connecting it to shore (see map). (CONTINUED - 944 WORDS)
