The Quest, Chapter 13 Overview

The Quest, Chapter 13 Overview

As we step beyond the Suez Crisis, the world that does not produce oil now has a critical need to find ways to guarantee their access to oil. Not only to their citizens, but also guaranteed access for their militaries. If a country was only receiving oil imports from one location, it was vulnerable to disruption. If a country increased supply locations, then if one location was disrupted, that would only disrupt a portion of its supply.

If countries worked together to coordinate a world trade regulation of the oil supply, then countries would be even less vulnerable to one location disruption. This could be further stretched to include a variety of types of petroleum sources, including unconventional sources also.

Not all disruptions of access to oil revolve around war or country disputes; we know how hurricanes can impact drilling rigs and refineries. In 2005, 2900 oil platforms were in the combined paths of Katrina and Rita Hurricanes according to Interior Secretary Gale Norton. “As a result, 90 percent of crude production and 72 percent of natural gas output is paralyzed,” she stated. This natural disaster regarding the oil access was lessened through the coordination of countries to fill the gap left by the tragic weather.

The challenges facing operating systems are but one element to consider in regard to energy security. Pipelines are another piece of the overall transportation of oil. They have been in the news through the discussion about the Keystone Pipeline and Dakota Access Pipeline. This is not to endorse the use of pipelines, but just consider all the pipelines that the United States has

without the controversy. Here are two maps that allow you to visualize the interconnections and vast land coverage.

Where are pipelines located?:

• https://pipeline101.org/topic/where-are-liquid-pipelines-located
• https://www.eia.gov/state/maps.cfm

The Suez Canal also made us more cognizant of the “choke point”. These choke points could be compromised by natural and man-motivated actions. Several points have frequent interactions with pirates, or nonstate actors, trying to seize possession of oil and gain profits from selling it. These points are also no secret; any country could cut off the lanes as a specific way to disrupt the worldwide oil supply. It is in most countries’ best interest to keep these points free from disruption. Several navies add these lanes to their commitment to continual order on the sea.