Spent the last couple of days on “ABOT”, also known as Al Basra Oil Terminal. This terminal is Iraq’s other oil terminal in the Northern Arabian Gulf, and ABOT is the key to Iraq’s economy. (I wrote about KAAOT a few weeks ago – KAAOT is interesting, but is older, less capable, and a much smaller piece of the pie.) ABOT, however, is where Iraq makes the money – well over half of the Iraqi economy flows via ABOT.
ABOT is really just five ‘big’ platforms linked together by a long catwalk, all together about 3/4 of a mile long. It is simply a filling station for tankers – two big pipes from the Iraqi oil fields rise from the ocean floor and supply the terminal, which can berth four supertankers simultaneously. It houses several groups of people, including Iraqi sailors and marines who protect it, US and British sailors and coast guardsmen who also protect it, and the folks from South Oil Company who run the oil operation – and fish a lot. There are also ships from all three nations in the area who keep the seas around the terminals safe.
Living conditions are a bit austere. Construction is based on shipping containers – metal boxes 8 feet by 7 by 20 or so. On ABOT, they are living containers (add a door, 2-6 bunks, an A/C unit, electrical wiring / lights, and some lockers –> a CLU – containerized living unit), dining rooms, meeting rooms, fitness centers, bathrooms, and even an internet cafe. There is a decent amount of gym equipment, and folks even jog (0.7 miles one way). For short periods, it is not bad, but am not sure how they do it for months at a time. It often reeks like oil – go figure –and it gets VERY hot and humid. For them, Memorial Day will be just another hot sticky day in the Gulf.
ABOT, from the South Platform. Tanker ‘Grand’ is filling on the left (notice how much red is showing), empty berth across from her (filled that night), and then two tankers in the background, one on each side
Tanker ‘Grand’ the next morning, fully laden with almost 2 million barrels of crude oil – over $100M for Iraq
‘Grand’ leaving that afternoon, coming soon to a gas pump near you!
Early the next morning, a new tanker arrives (and there a several more waiting a few miles away…)
‘Samho Dream’ – high and dry – mooring to ABOT
Sunrise in the Northern Arabian Gulf (NAG) – 280 sailors on a US Milius on month seven of deployment – protecting ABOT
My bud from Ft Jackson (the one in the pic at Frankfurt) is stationed on ABOT and is sort of the ‘maintenance manager’. He works with the Iraqi facility managers and a very small contingent of Navy Seabees (construction workers) who are assigned to try and make conditions better for the folks stationed there. He tends to get very hands-on… One of his projects was to create a central laundry facility, and he managed to secure a space for it – but needed the space cleared and a deck built. Rather than wait for free bodies… he enlisted me and the Royal Navy Captain who runs the place. A few hours (and many many bottles of water and Gatorade) later we were done with the deck. Next, the Seabees will run electricity and plumbing, and then it is a simple matter of installing the seven washer / dryer units. Voila – quality of life improved.
Sweeping down the area – between two containers – after moving a bunch of junk out of the way
Platform CO sawing planks – he loves carpentry, and it was a nice break from meetings
Yours truly fastening the planks. Much nicer than sitting on the computer, though my shirt was drenched with sweat.
The compete platform. Hardly flawless, but it is done!
So, next time you fill up you car / van, take a moment to think of the sailors and coasties sweating on the platform in the NAG. Then, add a prayer for Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Michael J. Pernaselli, 27, Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Christopher E. Watts, 28, and Coast Guard Petty Officer Third Class Nathan Bruckenthal, 24, all from USS Firebolt, who were killed on April 24th, 2004 while protecting KAAOT. Terrorists rigged a couple of fishing vessels with explosives and sent them towards the platform. As the US boarding party approached one of the vessels, it exploded – killing the three young men.
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