The Kirkuk–Haifa oil pipeline (also known as the Iraq–Haifa pipeline or Mediterranean pipeline) was a crude oil pipeline from the oil fields in Kirkuk, located in the former Ottoman vilayet of Mosul in northern Iraq, through Transjordan to Haifa in mandatory Palestine (now in the territory of Israel). The pipeline was operational between 1935 and 1948. Its length was about , with a diameter of (reducing to in parts), and it took about 10 days for crude oil to travel the full length of the line. The oil arriving in Haifa was distilled in the Haifa refineries, stored in tanks, and then put in tankers for shipment to Europe.
The pipeline was built by the Iraq Petroleum Company between 1932 and 1934, during which period most of the area through which the pipeline passed was under a British mandate approved by the League of Nations. The pipeline was one of two carrying oil from the Baba Gurgur, Kirkuk oilfield to the Mediterranean coast. The double pipeline split at Haditha (Pumping Station K3) with a second line carrying oil to Tripoli, Lebanon, which was then under a French mandate.
The pipeline and the Haifa refineries were considered strategically important by the British Government, and indeed provided much of the fuel needs of the British and American forces in the Mediterranean during World War II.
The pipeline was a target of attacks by Arabs during the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine, and as a result one of the main objectives of a joint British-Jewish Special Night Squads commanded by Captain Orde Wingate was to protect the pipeline against such attacks. Later on, the pipeline was the target of attacks by the Jewish Irgun paramilitary organisation.
In 1948, with the outbreak of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, the official operation of the pipeline ended when the Iraqi Government refused to pump any more oil through it.
The portion between Kirkuk and Tripoli remained in operation. It was looped between Kirkuk and Homs with the 30/32-inch Kirkuk–Baniyas pipeline which became operational in April 1952. It had also been looped before that point with a 16-inch pipeline (to both Tripoli and Haifa). The 16-inch line to Haifa was never commissioned. it was completed just as the political facts on the ground had turned against it.
Construction
Iraqi oil production in 1932 was 1,000,000 to 1,200,000 bbls/a. The planned capacity of the new pipe line was 30,000,000 bbls/a. H. S. Austin, president of the Ajax Pipe Line Co., responsible for the Ajax pipeline, and the Tuscarora Oil Co. was head of the construction work. The Ajax was a 400 mile, 65,000 bbls/day, twin 10-inch line between Glenn Pool (near Jenks, Oklahoma) to Wood River (near Alton, Illinois) and was completed in 1930 or 1931.
In total, 1,180 miles of pipe (120,000 tons) produced by French (52,000t), British (50,000t), German (10,000t) and American (8,000t) manufacturers and operated at 500psi were laid starting November 1, 1932. Pumping stations were diesel-driven. The pipe was laid simultaneously in each of the 3 principal legs of the line.
There was one railhead for each of the 3 legs, which became depots and sites for workshops. One was at Baiji, a few miles east of what would become the K-2 pumping station, supplied via Basra. The southern leg depot was at Mafraq on the Hejaz Railway, supplied via Haifa and for the northern leg, Homs was chosen as it was already host to several small industries.
By May 15, 1933 801 miles of pipe had been strung (laid out). This amounted to 4,750,000 ton miles of haulage of pipe alone and 7,000,000 overall haulage at this point of the estimated total 23,000,000 ton miles required. Between September 1932 and finished April 24, 1933 one pair of telegraph and one pair of telephone wires were installed along the route.
The Tripoli line was filled starting in early June 1934 with half of the pumping stations in operation and in July there had been attained a preliminary production capacity of 20,000 bbls/day or about 50% of rated capacity. French tankers were starting transportation to a new 15,000 bbls/day refinery at Martigues. At Tripoli there were at that time completed or under construction 15 tanks of 93,000 bbl capacity each. In March 1947 there were 27 tanks totaling 2,300,000bbl at Tripoli. During the war a small 5,000bbl/day topping plant was built at Tripoli.
The first oil arrived in Haifa on October 15, 1934.
The total cost of the project was $50,000,000.