Iran exports over 90% of its crude oil via Kharg Island

November 5, 2006 - 0:0
TEHRAN (IRNA) -- Head of the eastern platform of Kharg Oil Terminal, Seyyed Ebrahim Hosseini, said on Saturday that more than 90 percent of Iran's crude oil is exported via Kharg Island in the northern border of the Persian Gulf.

He told IRNA that due to the geographical position of Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf, Iran's crude oil is carried to destination without pumping it into oil carriers' tanks.

"The eastern platform of Kharg, situated 1,100 meters from the island's coast, is around 1,840 meters long and 40 meters wide.

"Its western platform located 1,455 meters from the island's coast allows three vessels -- weighing 200,000-500,000 tons – to berth at it," he added.

He noted that at present, crude oil is transferred from oil fields in Gachsaran and Ahvaz (Omidieh) into the oil tanks of the terminal, which are pumped into oil tankers.

For his part, the Control Engineer of Kharg Island oil facilities Amin Lotfi said that 200,000 barrels of crude oil are refined and prepared daily for export.

"The extracted crude oil is heated up to 260-270 degrees to get rid of its non-useful gas content, which is required by world standards to make it qualified for export.

"Once the primary refinement of crude oil is completed and its gas, salt and water contents are separated, it is transferred to the island's oil tanks to be carried to oil tankers via the two platforms," he concluded.