New solutions in the pipeline for Iraq's crippled oilfields (bury them)

[Barrett808]

Northern Iraq's oilfields are a prime target for rebels looking to disrupt the country's economy, but now local authorities have come up with innovative ways of getting the vital liquid flowing.

Oil installations and pipelines around the northern hub of Kirkuk, also an ethnically tense city riven by divisions between its Arab, Kurd and Turkmen inhabitants, have been targeted by at least 290 acts of sabotage since Saddam Hussein fell in April 2003.

...

The last coordinated attack on October 20 hit a network of 16 oil and gas pipelines, bringing the entire system to a standstill.

An official from the Northern Oil Company said the damage will be repaired some time next week, adding however that large cracks had appeared in the oil pipelines, most of which are more than 35 years old.

...

"This oil pipeline will be buried several metres underground so that no explosive device can reach it," said the official, with the existing pipelines running along the roadside offering an easy target for rebels.

(more)

http://www.mg.co.za/articlepage.aspx?area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__international_news&articleid=256808

[Tace]

1. That's Going To Take Years

[saigon68]

2. Halliburton will do it ???

Just send $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

[Bigmack]

3. Underground pumping stations, too?...

Admittedly, I don't know a helluva lot about oil pipelines, but they have to come up sometimes, don't they?

It's always struck me that, even in this (more or less) pacified country, the electrical and pipeline and drinking water infrastructure is vulnerable. Any nut who wants to could disrupt it. Now move that situation to Eyerack.

[Tempest]

4. Who's going to pay for it?

It's not like the oil is financing the war now, as was promised by the Bushies.

[htuttle]

5. Good thing the 'insurgents' can't get shovels!

Of course, if the DO manage get their hands on a shovel (from Iran, for instance), fixing it underground will take a lot longer...

[hatrack]

6. So will Iraqi contractors become the next likely suspects?

Probably. We can then rely on Fox, et. al., to begin scaring us with the Frontloaders of Fear, the Bulldozers of Brutality, the Earthmovers of Emnity and all the other evil, evil Weapons of Mass Construction!

[Up2Late]

7. Duh!

Wow, they ARE smart. :sarcasm: :banghead:

Hey I just thought of something too! What if we had a Machine that could SLICE BREAD at the bakery! Wouldn't THAT be nice? :silly:

[anotherdrew]

8. brilliant! how many million did this idea take to develop?

They'll be real easy to fix when something goes wrong that way too no doubt.

[cliss]

9. The problem is -

we'll be flat broke by the time we're ready to do this. We're broke now. All the money that's been spent on the war in Iraq & Afghanistan were borrowed from the future.

Also, the money that was supposedly used for Iraqi "reconstruction" never made it to Iraq. The money went to Halliburton, Kellogg Brown & Root and many others. We've left Iraq a bombed-out shell.

The biggest problem is that we're currently spending around $5.9 billion per month in Iraq.

[daleo]

10. I think a metal detector would find buried pipelines easily

Then, a few minutes of digging, and whoomp. Putting the Iraqi pipelines in outer space would be more effective.