clear

Creating new perspectives since 2009

Oil worth millions of dollars smuggled in Iraq can be prevented using technology

March 20, 2023 at 7:55 pm

Barrels of oil, 26 March 2020 [Daan Franken/Flickr]

Iraqi experts believe that hundreds of billions of dollars can be saved every year if Iraqi authorities utilise simple and low-cost technologies in preventing the theft and smuggling of Iraqi oil, Arabian Business reports.

According to the report, oil theft costs the country $750 million every month, which is about $9 billion every year, which is almost 15 per cent of overall revenues from the export of Iraqi oil during the first six months of this year.

Iraqi technology expert, Mohamed Ali, suggested using the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system in monitoring oil pipelines and tracking down thieves who pump the oil out of the main network in illegal manners, report added.

Jamal Al-Assadi, a legal expert and a retired Interior Ministry Inspector, said this can be done by fitting Global Positioning System (GPS) devices to all oil tanker trucks in Iraq.

“This will put an end to 90 per cent of oil smuggling operations,” Al-Assadi told Arabian Business.

WATCH: Where has Iraq’s oil wealth gone?