Oil terminal

An oil depot (sometimes called a tank farm, installation or oil terminal) is an industrial facility for the storage of oil and/or petrochemical products and from which these products are usually transported to end users or further storage facilities. An oil depot typically has tankage, either above ground or underground, and gantries (framework) for the discharge of products into road tankers or other vehicles (such as barges) or pipelines.

Oil depots are usually situated close to oil refineries or in locations where marine tankers containing products can discharge their cargo. Some depots are attached to pipelines from which they draw their supplies and depots can also be fed by rail, by barge and by road tanker (sometimes known as "bridging").

Most oil depots have road tankers operating from their grounds and these vehicles transport products to petrol stations or other users.

An oil depot is a comparatively unsophisticated facility in that (in most cases) there is no processing or other transformation on site. The products which reach the depot (from a refinery) are in their final form suitable for delivery to customers. In some cases additives may be injected into products in tanks, but there is usually no manufacturing plant on site. Modern depots comprise the same types of tankage, pipelines and gantries as those in the past and although there is a greater degree of automation on site, there have been few significant changes in depot operational activities over time.

Al Başrah Oil Terminal

Al Başrah Oil Terminal, commonly referred to as ABOT, is a strategically critical Iraqi offshore, deep sea crude oil marine loading terminal that lies approximately 50 km (31 mi) southeast of the Al-Faw Peninsula in the Persian Gulf. Along with its sister terminal, the Khawr al ‘Amīyah Oil Terminal (ميناء خور العمية, alt. Khor al-Amaya Oil Terminal, KAAOT), the terminals provide the principal point of export for more than eighty percent of Iraq's gross domestic product as of 2009, and all of the oil from the southern Başrah refinery.

Crude oil produced for export from the southern Iraqi oilfields is carried through three 48 in (1.2 m) diameter pipelines to the southern tip of the al-Faw Peninsula and then undersea to the ABOT^{(29°40′54″N 48°48′33″E / 29.68167°N 48.80917°E / 29.68167; 48.80917Coordinates: 29°40′54″N 48°48′33″E / 29.68167°N 48.80917°E / 29.68167; 48.80917)} platform. One 48 in (1.2 m) and two 32 in (0.81 m) pipelines supply the KAAOT^{(29°47′00″N 48°48′25″E / 29.78333°N 48.80694°E / 29.78333; 48.80694 (Khor al-Amaya Oil Terminal))} platform.

Basra

Basra, also written Basrah (Arabic: البصرة‎; BGN: Al Başrah), is an Iraqi city located on the Shatt al-Arab river between Kuwait and Iran. It had an estimated population of 1.5 million of 2012. Basra is also Iraq's main port, although it does not have deep water access, which is handled at the port of Umm Qasr.

The city is part of the historic location of Sumer, one of the ports from which Sinbad the Sailor journeyed, and a proposed location of the Garden of Eden. It played an important role in early Islamic history and was built in 636 AD or 14 AH. It is Iraq's second largest and most populous city after Baghdad (Mosul has an uncertain population under ISIS occupation). Basra is consistently one of the hottest cities in Iraq, with summer temperatures regularly exceeding 50 °C (122 °F).

Etymology

The city was called by many names throughout its history, Basrah being the most common. In Arabic the word basrah means 'the overwatcher', which might have been an allusion to the city's origin as an Arab military base against the Sassanids. Some sources claim that the name is derived from the Persian word Bas-rah, which means "where many paths meet". Others have argued that the name is derived from the Aramaic word basratha, meaning 'place of huts' or 'settlement'.

Basra (2008 film)

Basra is a 2008 Egyptian film.

Synopsis

Cairo, March 17, 2003. The US-UK strike against Iraq is imminent. How can an Egyptian photographer, in his thirties, surpass his own disappointments and fears? How can he find an answer to the existential questions pertaining to life, death, sex and logic amidst his awareness of all the absurdity around him? Can this artist remain alive (breathing, thinking, and photographing) and survive this oppressive atmosphere? Or is he going to fall with Baghdad?

Prizes

References

Bastra

Bastra, the Greek deformation of the Arabic word Basra, which is also a similar game played in Egypt, Lebanon and other Middle-Eastern countries, is a popular fishing card game similar to Cassino very popular in Cyprus. In Turkey, the game is known as Pişti or Paşta.

History

The game was probably introduced to the Cypriots through the Turks during the Ottoman occupation. There are also variations of the game played in Greece, such as Diloti and Kseri. The game has been exported by both the Cypriot and Turkish diasporas and is played in Cypriot communities in Australia, Canada, England and the United States, usually passed on by the first generation of immigrants to their children and grandchildren. Despite this, the game is virtually unknown in these countries outside of the Cypriot and Greek communities. In Turkey the game is still very popular.

The game

The game is played with a 52 card deck and can involve two, three or four players, although the game is most interesting in the two or four player versions. In the four player version, the players can play for themselves or in two player teams. The first team or player to score 100 points is the winner.