New fire in Karkouk pipeline

The commander of the American (US) forces in Iraq Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez said yesterday that a fire erupted in an oil pipeline to the north of Baghdad near Beji where an oil refinery exists, not knowing if the explosion was intentional.

The pipeline links Karkouk in the north to Beji refinery and transports the main part of oil which is exported to the Turkish port of Jeihan as from the city. This pipe was exposed to an explosion on August 30 and work on fixing it lasted for "several weeks." However, the director of the fire- fighting department at northern Iraqi oil company Bahaa Hassan said that maintaining the line might take "several days" and will not affect the schedule set for resuming exports from Karkouk for the first time since the American- British invasion of Iraq.

The northern oil pipeline extends towards south east of Karkouk oil fields to Beji refinery before it heads to the north west crossing the Turkish borders to Jeihan export port on the Mediterranean.