Week #20 - Khawr al Amayah Oil Terminal

Today makes one week on Khawr al Amayah Oil Terminal, or KAAOT as it is universally known. It been a pretty big change from life on the camp in Kuwait. At the same time, its very similar.

I thought I would take this opportunity to describe the oil platform in more detail. As promised last week, I documented the platform photographically. I'm actually having a hard time remembering what I did every day, its been a pretty action-packed week. I played tourist on Monday, snapping pictures of everything on my tour of the o-plat. The carry case I bought for my camera goes on my belt, so I took it with me and took photos almost every day of the week. Which makes it easier to keep things straight.

On Monday I got the grand tour, working north to south. KAAOT is actually made up of a bunch of smaller platforms connected with walk-ways.


At the northern end is an elevated platform. From here you have a pretty good view of the 'sunken crane,' which is pretty much just like it sounds. It's important to us because it just over the border in Iranian territorial waters.


As you might have read, KAAOT was attacked by the Iranians in the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, and by the coalition in the Operations Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom. While some structures have been reconstructed, a few bullet holes remain.


The next platform back to the south is the pumping station. There's one on each side, but they only seem to use one side. Tankers don't come to KAAOT very often, favoring the larger, more modern Al Basrah Oil Terminal (ABOT) directly south of here.


One of the more interesting aspects of this platform is the anti-swimmer netting. To protect the pumping station there is netting strung between the pylons. Apparently all sorts of flotsom and jetson have washed up against the nets, including most recently a dead cow.


Here's a close-up of the pumping station. This is the real operational part of the oil terminal. The crews rotate out here weekly, and the tankers aren't here that often. So you have to wonder about their proficiency. But when a tanker pulls up they are able to fill it in about three days. It would take half that time at ABOT because it has a much bigger capacity. But the water is deeper there, so that's where the super tankers have to go. We get the smaller ones.


The next platform to the south houses the South Oil Company employees and offices, as well as power generators. It also has an elevated section, which looks like it was formally a helicopter landing area, with some of our point defense weapons. Below is a picture of a dual .50-caliber heavy machine gun. This is the one I got to fire last night. You do not want to be on the receiving end of one of these!


The coalition platform (these all have real names but I'm leaving them out) is where both the Iraqi and U.S./U.K. military live, work, and play (e.g. work out). We have three buildings. The North Complex has our command center and offices, plus some of the berthing. The East Complex, right next door, houses the Iraqi Marines and Navy officers, plus some of my security guys, and has our main gym on the bottom floor. The South Complex, where I live, has the Galley and the cardio gym.


Right in the middle of this platform is the former South Oil Company command tower. As you can see, it did not fair so well during the attacks I mentioned earlier. I believe they leave it standing as some sort of memorial. Climbing up there to take pictures is on my list of things to do.


Operationally, I have to through in a picture of the INCHCAPE-14. It's the workhorse up there, ferrying people to and from shore, shuttling between platforms, and hauling our trash away. It shows up three days a week. And its purple, like my Jeep.


In the midst of my turnover on Tuesday, our Security Detachment guys held a gun shoot on the Mk19 grenade launcher. I could hear it from a distance when they started, and it just sounds cool. Bap-Bap-Bap .... BOOM-BOOM-BOOM. The gun shoot was from the southwest corner of the coalition platform, right below my berthing.


After "suiting up" in my individual body armor (IBA) and helmet, they let me shoot. It's like shooting a 50-cal, with much bigger rounds. And they explode when they hit the water and deliver a nice secondary concussion sound.


Out on the water, our boats continued their security mission and helping train the Iraqi Navy in the defense of KAAOT. In a somewhat rare sight perhaps, all three of our boats were moored alongside during a patrol brief.


Radar, radios, blue lights, and horns, not to mention 'showing the flag' are a big part of how we handle business out on the water. I thought this shot really put this in perspective, so to speak.


Just like our security dets personnel manning the crew-served weapons on the OPLATs, our crewmembers man the same weapons on the boats. One our Boatswain Mates stands ready on 421.


Underway from KAAOT, our boats head out to patrol their assigned sectors.


Thursday we had a distinguished visitor and associated tour. While some consider this an unnecessary 'dog and pony show' explaining what we do to a four-star admiral can have a profound effect on supplies, funding, and training. This particular Admiral is commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command, responsible for training and equipping all deploying Navy forces. I didn't get to be a part of the fun, so I just squeezed off a couple shots when he did a group photo with the CTG crew (this is pretty much everyone on KAAOT with the exception of the SECDET guys).


Immediately after this I got to check out ABOT for the first time. While it was just a quick over-and-back, it was worth it. I got to spend some more time with the Boat Det leadership and one of the crews.


Stepping on ABOT was pretty impressive. It's a much more modern, and larger, version of KAAOT. Just climbing up several flights of stairs really drove that home.


And they are MUCH busier over there. Four berths and usually all have a supertanker in them all the time.


It was a busy week for distinguished visitors (DVs), and Saturday there was another one. I got my wish this time and got to sit in on the brief. It was very informative, a lot of stuff I'd only heard of. And the discussion between an American Army three-star and Iraqi Navy one-star was enlightening to say the least.

Just before the brief in the MWR trailer one of the support staff caught a fish. I guess it was a big one, so I went over to snap a picture.


Also I Saturday my predecesser departed on the INCHCAPE tug, along with about six of the SECDET personnel, who were going on rest and relaxation liberty (R&R). This is considered 'isolated duty' so every 60 days here you get a week of liberty. I almost said leave, except you can't really go anywhere other that back to Kuwait or down to Qatar. If I'm lucky I'll be here just about 60 days.


That's it for this week. I know it was a lot of photos and not much introspective. But I was a little camera happy this week. I'll finish with the second best sunset I've seen since being here, the first nice one since last Sunday. Till next time!