KIRKUK-YUMARTALIK PIPELINE: CLARIFICATION ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 002552

SIPDIS


STATE FOR E, EB?CBED, EB/ESC, EUR/SE, NEA/NGA, INR
NSC FOR QUANRUD AND BRYZA
USDOC FOR 4212/ITA/MAC/OEURA/CPD/DDEFALCO
USDOE FOR PUMPHREY/ROSSI


E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/18/2013
TAGS: ENRG EPET TU IZ UNSC
SUBJECT: KIRKUK-YUMARTALIK PIPELINE: CLARIFICATION ON
AMOUNTS STORED

REF: A. (A) ANKARA 2445

B. (B) ANKARA 1952


(U) Classified by EconCounselor Scot Marciel. Reason:
1.5(b,d).



1. (C) Reftel reported that BOTAS executives had informed
Embassy that the storage tanks at Ceyhan were full with about
6.5 million barrels of oil from the Kirkuk-Yumurtalik
(Ceyhan) pipeline. Based on questions from Washington,
Embassy double-checked the figures today. BOTAS Deputy
General Manager Fuat Celepci onfirmed that the tanks were
full, and said the amount involved was just under 1.5 million
cubic meters. He was not sure of the formula to convert
cubic meters (which BOTAS uses) into barrels, but estimated
it at 6.3 barrels per cubic meter, which would produce a
figure of 9.3 million barrels of oil in storage rather than
the 6.5 million we were originally told.



2. (C) Celebci also confirmed that UN officials were still
present in Ceyhan.



3. (C) Comment: BOTAS executives have consistently said all
12 of the storage tanks in Ceyhan were full. We believe that
the original figure they gave us was based on an improper
conversion of cubic meters into barrels, and was not an
attempt to mislead.
PEARSON