QATAR - The Logistics.

Compared to its neighbours Abu Dhabi, Iran, Kuwait or Saudi Arabia, Qatar has limited logistics for oil exports or marketing. It has not invested in overseas refining and distribution systems, nor has it developed or leased oil storage facilities abroad. But QP has built up impressive logistics for LNG exports, together with its partners in the LNG ventures. It has the world's largest LNG terminal at Ras Laffan.

QP has two crude oil terminals, one at Umm Said which is the main facility also handling oil products and condensate/NGL exports, and a smaller one on the island of Halul.

Crude oil from the south-western field of Dukhan, onshore, is piped to the Umm Said terminal. The terminal also handles petrochemicals and steel exports. It has been partly upgraded, with new facilities to handle exports of MTBE and new chemicals to be produced from 2002. A new 24-inch seamless pipeline for crude oil has been built from Dukhan to Umm Said. Now a new multi-products berth is being built at Umm Said. It will also have four crude oil tanks, with 60-metre diametre each, and one fire water tank with a diametre of 33 metres.

Halul terminal, 80 km off Qatar's eastern coast, handles exports from the offshore fields of Idd Al Shargi ND and SD, Maydan Mahzam, Bul Hanine and Al Khaleej. It is being upgraded and refurbished further to improve stormwater protection and increase berth handling capacity. In a $17.8m project awarded in June 2001, the north quay and west lee breakwater are to be refurbished and extended. There will be a new 800-metre breakwater a 75-metre steel-piled quay with concrete deck at the northern end of the breakwater and a new seawater intake system, new sheetpiles and other facilities.

The Ras Abu Abboud terminal is for small quantities of gasoline, gasoil and ATF.

The three terminals have relatively limited storage capacities. In view of a rapid increase in offshore oil production, there should be new oil storage facilities at the Halul terminal.

The new fields Al Shaheen and Al Rayyan, off the northern coast of Qatar, have temporary crude oil export facilities through SBMs.

Ras Laffan terminal is to handle exports of petroleum products from a condensate refinery to be built near the port. Ras Laffan is becoming a major industrial zone, to rival that of Umm Said later on in this decade.