Iraq’s oil industry: Guarding a nation’s future

ABOARD THE USS PHILIPPINE SEA — Rising off the southern coast of Iraq is a metal monstrosity rusted in places and nicked with bullet holes from past wars in this tense part of the world.

The Basra oil terminal churns out black gold in the Persian Gulf miles from land, representing, many say, Iraq’s hope for the future.
oil per day are pumped via two pipelines from southern Iraq into the terminal and then onto giant commercial oil tankers at Basra.

The oil brings the country about $11,000 a second and makes up about 86 percent of its economy, according to U.S. military and coalition officials.

“If this platform were to go down … reconstruction efforts in Iraq would really be compromised. I can’t imagine the economy surviving,” said Navy Lt. Aaron Bergman, officer in charge of Mobile Security Detachment 73, a unit from Naval Base Guam that is helping Iraqis protect Basra and the smaller Khwar Al Amaya oil terminal.

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