


An analyis of the terrorist threat to the energy industry here, which points out the relatively robust (and redundant) nature of most aspects of the oil business and contains a chilling warning for the Houston Ship Channel and other logistical links to the sea lines of communication (platforms used for loading oil tankers especially):
In the Western Hemisphere, there really is only one target that, if damaged, could cause a major impact on energy supplies: the Houston Ship Channel. The channel snakes from Houston Bay through a network of refineries and petrochemical plants.
The channel itself is not vulnerable, but if a large craft — perhaps an oil tanker — were sunk in it, it would block the United States’ most vulnerable energy corridor.
Most targets of note are instead in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia has a five million barrel per day pipeline, the Petroline, which transports crude across the Arabian Peninsula. While it undoubtedly could be repaired quickly, even a brief interruption at the world’s largest energy pipeline could have far-reaching effects. The real concern is that something would happen to Ras Tanura in Saudi Arabia — the world’s largest oil-loading platform, capable of pumping six million bpd. Were something to happen to Ras Tanura — particularly if the Petroline were also knocked offline so that the Saudis could not redirect crude to alternative ports — the global impact would be fierce.

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