No one noticed that Iraqi oil was being sold to US and Europe from that pipeline that already exists through Syria to multiple ports on the Med? That pipeline was suppose to be shutdown. However last week Syria announced they would not meet about one-half their contracts for oil - because the non-functioning pipeline was recently shut down. Another pipeline already exists from Iraq to Turkey's Med port of Ceylien and other cities. Tripoli in Lebanon is but another pipeline already connecting Gulf oil to the Mediterranean.

Nonsenese is some idea that the Arabs are not shipping oil to Israel. Its a world maket. Oil goes everywhere regardless of who is who's enemy. Who was provinding Turkey with much of Saddam's oil exports? Saddam's arch enemies the Kurds. Welcone to realities in world oil markets.

     I thought Isreal was getting their oil from Russia? Where did you here otherwise? I'm not doubting you, I just want more info.

Holy shit, TW! I had no clue any of that was going on. Thanks for the info.

Iraq was shipping oil to Russia, Russia was shipping oil all over the world (claimed to be Russian oil). It's quite possible some Iraqi oil ended up in Israel, probably much to the amusement of the Russians.

feh.

We don't need their steekin' oil ...

Check this.

I keep meaning to start a thread on that. The potential is incredible. Imagine all these meat packing plants making oil with their offal. I wonder how well the system would handle waste from pig farms?

Griff! You better keep that prospective thread out of the Food and Drink section!

You hear!?

Brian :D

Are you banning that topic? Thread Nazi! ;)

What do mean our oil, white man?

I think the only way were going to save face on this is if Haliburton is not involved.

Oil from waste, at 85% efficiency? Methinks perhaps this oil is being pressed from certain legless reptiles.

Pipelines are everywhere. One that has extensive political contraversy is Caspian oil pipelines. To appreciate the problem, first look at a map. To get oil out - via Iran, or through Chechnya, Armenia, Azerbaijan , and Georgia (all involved in civil or international wars), or maybe through Afghanistan via Turkmenistan. The conquest of Iraq is so important so that oil can be piped directly to Turkey.

Turkey has good reasons to ban all oil shipments via the Black Sea - which means they get a pipeline to the Mediteranean as an added benefit.

Then there is a recent discussion of selling oil to Israel from the pipeline that currently terminates near Amman Jordan. Talk that it will go through Palestine so that the Israelis are intentionally made dependent. This suggested by European powers and a good idea.

Chevron has a tremendous risk and need for this pipeline that still no one is even started building.

Long distance pipelines were high tech in the decades before and after WWII. In older days, big natural gas tanks (that rose and shrunk with the gas) because pipelines were too small. Today pipelines are larger and higher pressure. Now even gasoline is distributed most of the distance to every gas station by pipelines - because pipelines are that common. Pipelines are so ubiquitous that Williams Communication built a fiber optic network using abandoned pipelines.

Pipelines to transport oil from the Middle East? Obviously they would be everywhere. Profits and demand are just too great - only impeded by localized intermittent events such as international war.

But then a White House full of oil men has no interest in making Caspian Sea pipelines through Iraq and Afghanistan possible?

In the meantime, oil goes everywhere. Tankers routinely are diverted as markets change. It's like electricty. Is that light lit by electricity from Quebec, IL, CA, or TX? Does it matter? Its all part of the same grid. Same with oil. When they talk about not selling oil to Israel, it really means is that Israeli oil companies cannot buy direct. Oil embargos to certain countries are not banning oil from that country. Just not selling oil directly to a company from that country.

Oil is so fluid that world markets could not even figure out if oil was flowing from Iraq to Syria on a pipeline that was suppose to be closed for over 10 years. Oil goes everywhere in a world market.

     I agree with all that, but if everything happens as they say then Isreal will be able to cut out the middleman (Russia) soon. That will make oil a hell of a lot cheaper for them. The idea that the US has this as a priority is interesting. I guess the Isreali's are the only people on earth that Bush doesn't want to piss off.