Risking flames and mines, Iraq oil workers battle to cap burning wells
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]November 24, 2016
By John Davison
QAYYARA, Iraq (Reuters) - His face blackened and helmet coated in soot, Hussein Saleh watched the oil fields of his home town in northern Iraq burn, belching up thick smoke that blotted out the sun.
Dozens of fellow workers and engineers from Iraq's North Oil Company, wearing dirty jackets and overalls with scarves wrapped around their faces, started up their water tankers and bulldozers for the day's work.
Their job: to extinguish and cap another oil well that Islamic State militants set ablaze when U.S.-backed Iraqi forces drove them out of Qayyara in August.
"I've worked in oil for 30 years and I've never seen anything like this," 57-year-old Saleh said, standing close enough to the flames to feel the heat.
"Daesh (Islamic State) just put explosives on the wellheads and blew them up," he said.
The men work in large teams to reduce the blaze, contain the fire and then cap the well. Each fire can take days to put out, Saleh said. Since October they have capped at least seven or eight wells, with more than a dozen more to go.
But the work has been dangerous. On top of the fires and the potential for inhaling toxic smoke, the area is still being cleared of Islamic State booby traps and landmines.
Qayyara's burning oil fields vividly depict the destruction the group wrought on northern Iraq, as Iraqi forces backed by a U.S.-led coalition battle to drive the jihadists out of their stronghold in nearby Mosul.
Islamic State has made hundreds of millions of dollars through sale on the black market of oil from the fields it captured in Iraq and Syria when took over swathes of both countries in 2014, according to U.S. government estimates.
OIL SMUGGLING
It has suffered a near collapse in oil smuggling revenue, however, since losing control of a series of oil fields in 2015 and 2016.
In Qayyara, the job of cleaning up the mess has just begun, and is slow and challenging.
"We use water, earth, everything we can to control and reduce the blaze, and it's a big team -- perhaps 150 people working on one well," supervisor Ahmed Hidayat, 54, said.
"Earth is bulldozed over the burning oil surrounding the well so we can get close to it, and then when we're close enough we cap the well.
"We try to plug it with a new wellhead instead of cementing it over, because then we'd have to drill through again."
On Wednesday the men prepared to cap another well, spraying water onto the fire that turned the black smoke white.
As they did so, an explosion rang out close to the well - a controlled detonation by Iraqi sappers of an Islamic State IED.
"There were mines laid around the wells," Saleh explained.
"A policeman was wounded five days ago. He put one foot off the road and stepped on a mine. It's a bit scary, you don't know where they might be."
Sabah Ali, a worker from another oil-producing town northwest of Mosul, said he was worried for his health because of prolonged exposure to the fumes.
"It's hard work. The fires are massive and you breathe in so much smoke," he said. "Someone choked on it recently and had to be treated by our medical team."
But the men, some of whom haven't worked for two years because they lived in areas under Islamic State control, say they are happy to be receiving their wages again, plus danger money of around $50 a day.
Saleh said he also felt a duty to his town and country.
"People should work for the good of their country. Daesh has destroyed the country, destroyed the people, destroyed Islam," he said.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]November 24, 2016
By John Davison
QAYYARA, Iraq (Reuters) - His face blackened and helmet coated in soot, Hussein Saleh watched the oil fields of his home town in northern Iraq burn, belching up thick smoke that blotted out the sun.
Dozens of fellow workers and engineers from Iraq's North Oil Company, wearing dirty jackets and overalls with scarves wrapped around their faces, started up their water tankers and bulldozers for the day's work.
Their job: to extinguish and cap another oil well that Islamic State militants set ablaze when U.S.-backed Iraqi forces drove them out of Qayyara in August.
"I've worked in oil for 30 years and I've never seen anything like this," 57-year-old Saleh said, standing close enough to the flames to feel the heat.
"Daesh (Islamic State) just put explosives on the wellheads and blew them up," he said.
The men work in large teams to reduce the blaze, contain the fire and then cap the well. Each fire can take days to put out, Saleh said. Since October they have capped at least seven or eight wells, with more than a dozen more to go.
But the work has been dangerous. On top of the fires and the potential for inhaling toxic smoke, the area is still being cleared of Islamic State booby traps and landmines.
Qayyara's burning oil fields vividly depict the destruction the group wrought on northern Iraq, as Iraqi forces backed by a U.S.-led coalition battle to drive the jihadists out of their stronghold in nearby Mosul.
Islamic State has made hundreds of millions of dollars through sale on the black market of oil from the fields it captured in Iraq and Syria when took over swathes of both countries in 2014, according to U.S. government estimates.
OIL SMUGGLING
It has suffered a near collapse in oil smuggling revenue, however, since losing control of a series of oil fields in 2015 and 2016.
In Qayyara, the job of cleaning up the mess has just begun, and is slow and challenging.
"We use water, earth, everything we can to control and reduce the blaze, and it's a big team -- perhaps 150 people working on one well," supervisor Ahmed Hidayat, 54, said.
"Earth is bulldozed over the burning oil surrounding the well so we can get close to it, and then when we're close enough we cap the well.
"We try to plug it with a new wellhead instead of cementing it over, because then we'd have to drill through again."
On Wednesday the men prepared to cap another well, spraying water onto the fire that turned the black smoke white.
As they did so, an explosion rang out close to the well - a controlled detonation by Iraqi sappers of an Islamic State IED.
"There were mines laid around the wells," Saleh explained.
"A policeman was wounded five days ago. He put one foot off the road and stepped on a mine. It's a bit scary, you don't know where they might be."
Sabah Ali, a worker from another oil-producing town northwest of Mosul, said he was worried for his health because of prolonged exposure to the fumes.
"It's hard work. The fires are massive and you breathe in so much smoke," he said. "Someone choked on it recently and had to be treated by our medical team."
But the men, some of whom haven't worked for two years because they lived in areas under Islamic State control, say they are happy to be receiving their wages again, plus danger money of around $50 a day.
Saleh said he also felt a duty to his town and country.
"People should work for the good of their country. Daesh has destroyed the country, destroyed the people, destroyed Islam," he said.
Today at 7:24 am by Rocky
» utube 6/18/24 MM&C Iraq Dinar - IQD Update - Liberation of Economy - 6.5 Billion Dinars ($4.9 Bill
Today at 7:22 am by Rocky
» utube 6/22/24 MM&C IQD Update - Iraq Dinar - Investment Law - Implementation Tripartite Budget - Ra
Today at 7:21 am by Rocky
» Ministers' statements evaporate in the electricity sky... bright promises that do not touch reality,
Today at 7:15 am by Rocky
» Ministry of Oil: The government is working to convert 40 percent of crude oil into oil derivatives
Today at 7:12 am by Rocky
» Popular Movement: We have sufficient lines to export oil and we do not need a normalization pipeline
Today at 7:10 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani discusses the work of Dutch companies in Iraq
Today at 7:09 am by Rocky
» America's continued violation of Iraq's sovereignty...what is its purpose?
Today at 7:07 am by Rocky
» Anbar tribes demand the removal of American forces
Today at 7:06 am by Rocky
» Al-Maliki's coalition: Iraq can submit an international request to remove American forces
Today at 7:05 am by Rocky
» Revealing an Iraqi request to America that includes the withdrawal of its forces
Today at 7:04 am by Rocky
» A leader in the framework: Washington exploited 5 points in the strategic agreement to harm Iraq’s s
Today at 7:03 am by Rocky
» The Human Rights Parliament criticizes the silence of the international community regarding what is
Today at 7:02 am by Rocky
» I asked Iraq to stay for 3 years... The information publishes important details about the American f
Today at 7:01 am by Rocky
» The US Army responds to the joint attack by the Houthis and the "Iraqi Resistance"
Today at 6:58 am by Rocky
» Dozens of Iraqi companies participate in an investment summit in America
Today at 6:57 am by Rocky
» Iraq.. Water storage is less than half of the need and a bleak fate awaits the marshes
Today at 6:56 am by Rocky
» The Central Bank of Iraq sells $273 million at auction today
Today at 6:54 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Economy explains...Does the fluctuation of oil prices affect the economy of Iraq?
Today at 6:53 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary law resolves the matter: salaries cannot be affected in the 2024 budget
Today at 6:51 am by Rocky
» Integrity arrests employees in the Ministries of Finance and Trade red-handed in bribery in Anbar
Today at 6:50 am by Rocky
» Government advisor: Sovereign guarantees to the private sector will contribute to the industrial ren
Today at 6:48 am by Rocky
» Iraq's oil exports to America decreased in a week
Today at 6:46 am by Rocky
» Applying for care stipends is “available at any time” for 5 categories of women
Today at 6:45 am by Rocky
» Advisor to the Association of Banks: The Central Bank's third strategy is a new methodology for fina
Today at 6:44 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Electricity calls for obligating state departments to adopt solar energy
Today at 6:43 am by Rocky
» Kurdish approval of the agreement between oil companies and SOMO
Today at 6:41 am by Rocky
» Health warning to shop owners regarding the safety of food products
Today at 6:41 am by Rocky
» After the decline in inflation rates... economic calls to improve financial policy management in Ira
Today at 6:40 am by Rocky
» Transport reveals the latest developments in Al-Faw Port: We have completed 5 berths, and this is th
Today at 6:39 am by Rocky
» The environment threatens violating factories: penalties reach fines and closure
Today at 6:38 am by Rocky
» The World Bank expects economic growth in Iraq to reach more than 5% in 2026
Today at 6:37 am by Rocky
» A parliamentary call to hold an extraordinary session of Parliament to discuss the reality of electr
Today at 6:36 am by Rocky
» The Cabinet Secretariat details to Al-Iqtisad News the decision to reduce working hours: Governors a
Today at 6:35 am by Rocky
» Directives from Sudanese regarding the issue of lifting the ban on Iraqi Airlines
Today at 6:34 am by Rocky
» The Prime Minister stresses the necessity of keeping pace with developments in the field of air tran
Today at 6:31 am by Rocky
» Adviser to the Prime Minister to Nina: The government is seeking new, more effective mechanisms to r
Today at 5:10 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani receives the Dutch ambassador to Iraq on the occasion of the end of his work
Today at 5:08 am by Rocky
» Iraq's oil exports to America declined last week
Today at 5:07 am by Rocky
» Sudanese inaugurates the new Air Defense Command operations center
Today at 5:06 am by Rocky
» A plan to increase and develop oil pipelines
Today at 5:04 am by Rocky
» {Seismic code} for Iraq
Today at 5:03 am by Rocky
» Al-Emaar: New residential cities will reduce real estate prices
Today at 5:01 am by Rocky
» Kurdistan receives 400,000 tourists on Eid al-Adha
Today at 5:00 am by Rocky
» Experts praise government support for higher education
Today at 4:59 am by Rocky
» Government advisor: The budget imposed discipline in expenditures and diversification of revenues
Today at 4:58 am by Rocky
» Basra crude achieves gains of more than 3% in a week
Today at 4:57 am by Rocky
» Absorptive capacity
Today at 4:56 am by Rocky
» Establishment of the Commercial Arbitration Center in Iraq
Today at 4:55 am by Rocky
» Baghdad Council diagnoses Note: Why does the electricity not turn off in the areas covered by privat
Today at 4:52 am by Rocky
» A decrease in the dollar exchange rates on Iraqi stock exchanges
Today at 4:50 am by Rocky
» The political street is awaiting the selection of the Speaker of Parliament soon
Today at 4:48 am by Rocky
» “Electricity disputes”.. What is the story of the “regional” objection and the “intermediaries” of s
Today at 4:47 am by Rocky
» "SDF" threatens more than 7 million Iraqis, and Parliament issues a warning: "A disaster looms on th
Today at 4:45 am by Rocky
» Al-Maliki's candidate secures 7 votes and is separated by two votes from the position of governor of
Today at 4:44 am by Rocky
» Iraq and the Netherlands are discussing activating the joint water council between the two countries
Today at 4:42 am by Rocky
» Barzani is in the process of issuing a “fifth decree” to set the date for parliamentary elections in
Today at 4:41 am by Rocky
» Is Iraq qualified politically and security-wise to receive Gulf leaders? A specialist reveals - urge
Today at 4:40 am by Rocky
» Fuel prices are burning in Kurdistan, and tourism and cooling are behind the rise - urgent
Today at 4:39 am by Rocky
» The thorny issue: Washington continues to threaten the Iraqis with a repeat of the 2014 scenario
Today at 4:37 am by Rocky
» Masrour Barzani assigns a special representative to trace the fate of missing citizens in Saudi Arab
Today at 4:35 am by Rocky
» The Minister of Interior directs the opening of an investigation into the People's General Hospital
Today at 4:33 am by Rocky
» Trade reveals the details of the food basket and sends an invitation to citizens
Today at 4:32 am by Rocky
» Parliament gives the Minister of Interior 15 days to uncover the causes of the fires
Today at 4:31 am by Rocky
» The Minister of Electricity relieves a number of officials in Basra
Today at 4:30 am by Rocky
» Sudanese directs to reduce official working hours
Today at 4:29 am by Rocky
» Electronic blackmail in Iraq...a crime that begins with the phone and ends with the disintegration o
Today at 4:28 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani stresses the necessity of developing modern aircraft to confront the possibilities of brea
Today at 4:26 am by Rocky
» Parliament calls on the Minister of Interior to investigate the recent fires
Today at 4:25 am by Rocky
» Sudanese discusses with the Dutch ambassador the activation of the Joint Water Council
Today at 4:24 am by Rocky
» The World Bank predicts Iraq's economic future in 2026
Today at 4:22 am by Rocky
» utube 6/21/24 MM&C 0:01 / 29:03 Iraq Dinar - IQD - Capital Economy - Olympics - 3 Presidenc
Yesterday at 7:09 am by Rocky
» Iraq is without electricity... government silence, timid parliamentary action, and the citizen dies
Yesterday at 7:04 am by Rocky
» The next two days... Parliament will host the advanced staff of the Ministry of Electricity
Yesterday at 7:03 am by Rocky
» Iraq and Saudi Arabia are driving the growth of the project market for the Gulf region
Yesterday at 7:01 am by Rocky
» Trade determines the date of payment of farmers’ dues
Yesterday at 6:59 am by Rocky
» Do new residential cities reduce real estate prices?
Yesterday at 6:54 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani stresses the necessity of developing modern aircraft to confront the possibilities of brea
Yesterday at 6:53 am by Rocky
» Iraq allocates 5 trillion dinars for the new Air Defense Command operations center
Yesterday at 6:50 am by Rocky
» "The National" about the Iraqi fuel deal with Lebanon: No money or goods in exchange for oil
Yesterday at 6:48 am by Rocky
» The budget is considered “numbers on paper”... revenues for the first 4 months are 15% less than wha
Yesterday at 6:47 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Integrity: Electricity in Iraq has become a dilemma that cannot be solved
Yesterday at 5:25 am by Rocky
» Government advisor: The tripartite budget gave the government flexibility to implement its medium-te
Yesterday at 5:24 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Committee: Amending the Investment Law in the next legislative term
Yesterday at 5:23 am by Rocky
» Budget 2025...the upcoming changes, most notably salaries
Yesterday at 5:21 am by Rocky
» Signs of reconciliation or permanent divorce: Muqtada al-Sadr and the coordination framework are at
Yesterday at 5:19 am by Rocky
» Politician: The statements of the new American ambassador are a challenge to the government
Yesterday at 5:17 am by Rocky
» Parliamentarian: Washington is exploiting the spook card as a weapon against Iraq
Yesterday at 5:15 am by Rocky
» Al-Salami: Electricity promises are just words
Yesterday at 5:14 am by Rocky
» Iraq develops "forensic medicine" for "greater justice" for victims of crimes and genocide
Yesterday at 5:12 am by Rocky
» An international organization urges Iraq to adjust working hours to confront the “deadly heat”
Yesterday at 5:11 am by Rocky
» Kurdistan brings good news about water... a “significant” increase in the reservoirs of the Dokan an
Yesterday at 5:10 am by Rocky
» Closing 52 various illegal projects in an Iraqi governorate
Yesterday at 5:08 am by Rocky
» Transporting 150 black oil trucks from the Doura refinery to the ports during Eid
Yesterday at 5:07 am by Rocky
» To increase completion rates...a government plan to expand work in Muthanna
Yesterday at 5:06 am by Rocky
» Overthrowing networks that practice fraud and misleading citizens into appointments in three governo
Yesterday at 5:05 am by Rocky
» Finance: Directly distributing current expenditures, revenues and investment projects for the year 2
Yesterday at 5:04 am by Rocky
» Changes in the digital economy and their impact in Iraq
Yesterday at 5:03 am by Rocky
» Finance begins distributing estimates of the state's current expenditures, revenues, and public inve
Yesterday at 5:01 am by Rocky