KHARK ISLAND: IRAN'S PRINCIPAL OIL EXPORT TERMINAL

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP85T00283R000600100007-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 11
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 2, 2010
• Sequence Number: 7
• Publication Date: June 1, 1984
• Content Type: REPORT

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Directorate of Secret
Intelligence
Oil Export Terminal
Khark Island: Iran's Principal
NGA Review Completed
Secret
GI 84-10107
June 1984
copy 518
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Directorate of Secret
Intelligence
Khark Island: Iran's Principal
Oil Export Terminal
This paper was prepar
Strategic Resources Division, OGI,
Comments and queries are welcome and may be
directed to the Chief, Strategic Facilities Branch,
Secret
GI 84-10107
June 1984
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Preface
Information available
as of 7 June 1984
was used in this report.
Oil Export Terminal
Khark Island: Iran's Principal
countries in the Gulf.
The oil facilities on Khark Island are the most vital in Iran's oil system,
and their continued operation is essential to Iran's economic well-being and
ability to finance the war effort with Iraq. In recent months, Iraq has
escalated its threats to attack and destroy Khark Island's oil facilities and
has regularly attacked tankers engaged in Khark crude trade. If Iraq were
to succeed in shutting down Khark export operations, Iran's remaining
export capability in the southern Persian Gulf would be only about one-
fourth its current rate-a level sufficiently low that Tehran would probably
pursue earnestly the disruption of oil exports from Arab oil-exporting
Khark Island's oil facilities are extensive. Its export capacity of some 9-10
million barrels per day makes it the largest single oil export terminal in the
Persian Gulf. Only about one-eighth of this capacity is used, giving the
terminal major flexibility in coping with possible Iraqi attacks. Moreover,
the unusual gravity flow oil delivery system to the island from oilfields
ashore and from the tank farms to tankers reduces the risk of extended
shutdown periods. The island is also well defended, which has helped
negate the effectiveness of previous Iraqi bombing attacks. Knowing these
qualities of Khark Island and its important oil facilities assists in under-
standing the impact of potential Iraqi attacks on this major oil installation.
Secret
GI 84-10107
June 1984
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Khark Island and Iran's Major Producing Oilfields
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Secret
Khark Island: Iran's Principal
Oil Export Terminal
Khark Island Terminal
Khark Island Terminal is Iran's principal crude oil
export facility. The terminal, operated by the Nation-
al Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), is situated 42 kilo-
meters off Iran's coast on an island, which is 44 km
southwest of the coastal town of Ganaveh and 60 km
northeast of Bushehr. The island is irregular in shape,
approximately 8 km long in a north-south direction
and 3 km wide. Although the facilities at Khark
handle about 90 percent of all crude exported from
Iran, loading terminals at Sirri and Lavan Islands can
each export about 200,000 barrels per day (b/d).
Lavan is currently producing and exporting near
capacity and Sirri is exporting at about 100,000 b/d.
The major petroleum export facilities at Khark Island
include a 10-berth oil-loading jetty, a four-berth sea
island, 41 operational crude oil storage tanks with a
capacity of 24.5 million barrels, and a conventional
buoy-mooring system. The combined crude export
capacity of the Khark Island terminal facilities is
about 9-10 million b/d, although pipelines from the
mainland can only deliver 6.3 million b/d to the
terminal. In 1983 exports from Khark averaged about
1.6 million b/d, although levels as high as 6 million
b/d were achieved during 1977.
Iraqi attacks against ships calling at Khark have
altered normal approach procedures and created a
waiting area near Sirri and Lavan Islands in the
southern Gulf as well as outside the Gulf's entrance.
At the discretion of a ship's captain, a tanker proceeds
up the Gulf after Iran gives it clearance to call at
Khark. Once a tanker arrives at Khark, tugs help it
berth and loading commences. Loading is limited to
crude oil-no bunker fuel-and can be completed in
24 to 48 hours. A tanker can make the 400-nautical-
mile trip from Khark to the Strait of Hormuz in 24 to
30 hours.
Khark Development History
Khark was selected in 1957 as Iran's deepwater
loading port because it provides shelter from storms,
which arise mainly in the northwest, and because it
has deep water close inshore on the southeast. There
have been five principal construction phases in
Khark's development:
Years Project Description
1959-60 Construction ofJirst subsea
Initial construction pipeline from mainland to
Khark Island. Construction of
twelve 272,000-barrel-capacity
tanks. Construction of trestle,
small boat harbor, and south
jetty berths 1 to 4.
Phase II: 1964-65 Construction of additional sub-
Pipeline and storage sea pipelines. Construction of
expansion twelve 500,000-barrel-capacity
tanks. Construction QfJetty
berths 5 and 6 and north jetty
berths south 7 to 10.
Phase III: 1969-74 Construction of twelve 1-mil-
Major tank lion-barrel-capacity crude
construction tanks in three phases.
Phase IV. 1970-71 Construction of a two-berth sea
Sea Island island and subsea loading lines.
Phase V.? 1973-74 Construction of additional two-
Sea Island expansion berth sea island and subsea
loading lines. (S NF NC)
The Link to Oilfields
Oil flows to Khark through two trunkline systems that
meet at Ganaveh on the Iranian coast. The first
trunkline system leads from Gachsaran to Ganaveh
and came into operation in 1960. This 30-inch pipe-
line system has since been looped, raising its capacity
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to 1.4 million b/d. On its route to the coast, this
trunkline picks up the crude from Bibi Hakimeh and
Binak oilfields.
25X1 The second trunline system begins with a 42-inch-
diameter pipeline leading from Agha Jari to Ganaveh
that was built in 1965. It is 170 km long and initially
had a throughput capacity of almost a million barrels
per day without pumping, at least double the capacity
of any previous long-distance crude oil gravity deliv-
ery line at that time. Today, this trunkline consists of
two pipelines of similar size, with a capacity of 2.7
million b/d. Along its route, it draws from a number
of oilfields, including Marun, Karenj, Abu of Faris,
and Pazanan. In 1972 a pipeline from Ahvaz to
Ganaveh was completed. It has two sections with
diameters of 42 and 48 inches, is 250 km in length,
The Khark Island Terminal is linked to these trunk-
line systems and all of Iran's onshore oilfields through
six submarine pipelines from the Ganaveh manifold
station. There are two 30-inch and one 42-inch light
crude lines, and two 30-inch and one 52-inch heavy
crude line. The last pumping booster station before
Khark is the Gurreh booster station, approximately
40 km upstream from Ganaveh. Even without Gur-
reh's pumps operating, some 2.7 million b/d could
flow into Khark's storage tanks from the onshore
fields, according to our analysis.
Principal Export Facilities
Sea Island. The four-berth sea island-the terminal's
largest export capacity facility-is located about 2 km
off the west side of the island. The sea island can
and has a throughput capacity of 2.1 million b/d~
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Secret
handle the largest tankers available. It can load oil at
rates up to 225,000 barrels per hour (bph) at a single
berth and has an overall export capacity of about 5.5
million b/d using normal operating procedures.
The entire complex is approximately 1,100 meters
long and 12 meters wide, extending to 90 meters wide
at the two loading platforms. It consists of 23 inde-
pendent structures, all interconnected by walkways.
There are 11 mooring dolphins to secure and align
tankers, 10 breasting dolphins to absorb the impact of
berthing tankers, and two loading platforms, each
serving two berths.
Crude oil is delivered to each loading platform on the
sea terminal by two 56-inch submarine pipelines.
Normally, one line is dedicated for light crude service
and the other for heavy crude service. Bunker fuel is
also delivered to the sea island by two 20-inch subma-
rine pipelines terminating at Loading Platform One.
to the island by a trestle. Ships up to 250,000
deadweight tons (dwt) can be loaded here. Using
articulated loading arms, loading rates up to 112,500
bph to one berth can be achieved while up to 450,000
bph can be delivered to all 10 berths simultaneously.
The jetty's operating capacity is about 3.6 million b/d
under normal procedures. Each berth can deliver light
crude, heavy crude, bunker, or diesel oil.
Tank Farm. The tank farm consists of 36 tanks that
feed the jetty and sea island and is located in the
south central part of the island. Of these tanks, four
were severely damaged by Iraqi air attacks early in
the war. The remaining 32 have a combined capacity
of 19 million barrels-about two weeks' storage ca-
pacity at early 1984 export rates. The tanks are
located at elevations of roughly 60 to 65 meters above
sea level. Because of their elevation, crude oil loading
operations are accomplished solely by gravity flow.
Ten-Berth Jetty. The 10-berth jetty-the primary
loading area before construction of the sea island-is
located on the east side of the island and is connected
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Of the 32 crude storage tanks, 13 are for light crude
storage, and 19 are for heavy crude storage. All have
floating roofs, which help minimize evaporative losses
and prevent the creation of a space on the top of the
tank in which explosive vapors would accumulate.
Crude is delivered from the tank farm to the jetty in
four 48-inch lines and one 36-inch line, and to the sea
island in two 78-inch lines.
Other Khark Oil Facilities
Daryush Terminal. Formerly operated by the Iran
Pan American Company (IPAC), Daryush is the other
crude oil export facility on Khark Island. The Dar-
yush Terminal tank farm lies south of the larger
Khark tank farm. It has nine crude oil storage tanks
with approximately 5.5 million barrels of storage.
Daryush Terminal normally receives its oil from the
offshore Daryush, Ardeshir, and Fereidoon oilfields,
which are not now operating. Like Khark Terminal,
the Daryush tanks are located at an elevation of
approximately 60 meters and, therefore, no pumps are
needed to load tankers.
Crude oil is exported via a single conventional buoy
mooring (CBM) system located approximately 2 km
south of the jetty in more than 20 meters of water.
Loading is via a single 36-inch submarine pipeline.
Loading rates of 37,000 bph can be achieved. About
300,000 b/d could be loaded through this terminal.
Production Units. There are two production units on
Khark Island. One is located north of the Khark
Terminal tank farm and is operated by the NIOC as
part of the Khark field. The second, operated by
IPAC, is located east of the IPAC tank farm and is
part of the Daryush field.
Airport. At the north end of the island is an airport
operated by the NIOC. The runway is 1,525 meters
long and 46 meters wide. No commercial service is
available.
Navy Base and Defenses
The Iranian Navy maintains a small base and port
facility on the east side of the island approximately 2
km north of the trestle jetty. The harbor consists of a
small breakwater artificial harbor capable of handling
six to eight small vessels.
Iran has one operational HAWK surface-to-air mis-
sile site and nine 2-gun radar-guided, 35-mm Oerli-
kon, antiaircraft gun batteries on Khark Island. Iran
has about six operational F-4 fighter aircraft at
Bushehr airbase
Khemco Terminal. Khemco Terminal, operated by
the Khark Chemical Co., is located at the southern
end of the island between the Daryush terminal tank
farm and the shoreline. The terminal has a single jetty
berth with one main and eight mooring dolphins
located in 13 meters of water. The terminal exports
crushed sulphur and LPG (propane and butane). The
LPG storage is underground
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