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Terror's Next Target Attacks on the West's oil and gas infrastructure -- from production facilities to pipelines and tankers -- are likely to be the next "mega" target of terrorists, and could wreak havoc with the world's economy, according to an in-depth IAGS analysis of the susceptibility of the energy industry featured in the latest Journal of International Security Affairs (Winter 2004). Minding Its Business Saudi Arabia, which has demonstrated its willingness to use its vast oil reserves as a foreign policy tool, has not acted to aid U.S. efforts to rebuild Iraq. Fencing in looters and saboteurs in Iraq Too many people in and outside of Iraq are hoping to deny Iraq a better future through a campaign of sabotage and plunder of the country's neglected oil facilities. The problem, and possible solutions. Energy security and liquefied natural gas Demand for natural gas has increased as have the security vulnerabilities presented by liquefied natural gas terminals and tankers. Under the Radar Oil, terrorism and drugs intermingle in Colombia Seventy U.S. Special Forces soldiers are training Colombians to protect an oil pipeline. Japan's struggle to secure future oil supply Energy dependent Japan looks to Iran for oil, causing tension with the U.S. Chad-Cameroon pipeline project put to test Will the pipeline, partially financed by the World Bank, improve the lot of Chad and Cameroon or exacerbate existing corruption and strife? Natural resource curse hits São Tomé A tiny West African country illustrates a well known problem. On the technology front Fuel Cell Locomotive for Military and Commercial Railways An international consortium is developing the world’s largest fuel cell vehicle, a 109 metric-ton, 1 MW locomotive. Fuel cell power plant installed at NJ Sheraton A stationary fuel cell will supply 250 kilowatts of electric power as well as heat to the Sheraton Edison Hotel, accounting for about 25 percent of the hotel's electricity and hot water. Fuel cell scooters for Europe and China Palcan's fuel cell powered scooter is designed to address the world's need for a low-end mass transport vehicle. U.S. Air Force to get fuel cell bus Fuel cell powered thirty-foot hybrid bus to be stationed at the Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii. IAGS is a publicly supported, nonprofit organization under section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code. IAGS is not beholden to any industry or political group. We depend on you for support. If you think what we are doing is worthwhile, please Support IAGS. All contributions are tax deductible to the full extent allowed by law. Property of The Institute for the Analysis of Global Security © 2003. All rights reserved. Back Issues |
New technology can help fight pipeline sabotage
One of the biggest challenges to Iraq's reconstruction is the campaign of pipeline sabotage
that has thus far kept Iraqi oil offline denying the country much needed funds. According to
IAGS's Iraq Pipeline Watch there have been over 40
major attacks on pipelines primarily
against Iraq's only oil throughway to the Mediterranean, the pipeline connecting Kirkuk
to the Turkish
port of Ceyhan. The Coalition Provisional Authority has made protecting the pipelines and
restoring Iraq's oil industry a top priority. Close to 14,000 security guards have been
deployed along the pipelines and in critical installations using surveillance equipment
and electronic motion detectors. There has also been a six-fold increase in the number
of mobile security patrols. But all this does not seem to solve the problem. Now an
Israeli company, Magal Security Systems,
has announced a unique technology known as
PipeGuard, that
can significantly improve the security of buried gas and oil pipelines.
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Energy Security
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