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Damage to oil pipeline in Akkar leads to spill at sea

Damage to oil pipeline in Akkar leads to spill at sea

A leak in an Iraqi oil pipeline that passes through Syria and then crosses Akkar in North Lebanon caused oil to spill into the sea off the Abdeh-Akkar port. (Courtesy of: Michel Hallak)

BEIRUT — A leak in an Iraqi oil pipeline that passes through Syria and then crosses Akkar in North Lebanon caused oil to spill into the sea off the Abdeh-Akkar port, polluting fishermen's nets and threatening fish populations, L'Orient Today's correspondent in North Lebanon reported.

A fisherman in Akkar shared a video exposing the oil spill in the sea, pointing out that "the water's smell is foul and the oil has polluted our nets and threatened the remaining fish population." He also called on "the Tripoli oil facilities to address this matter radically and stop this leakage immediately." 

A number of fishermen in the area also complained about the oil leak from the oil pipeline that extends from Tripoli in Lebanon to Kirkuk in Iraq. According to our correspondent, the oil sediments travel through winter water channels to Akkar's sea, passing close to the fishing port and contributing to its pollution.

The Iraqi oil pipeline crosses a distance of more than 25 kilometers in Akkar's plain and is exposed to many encroachments and theft, and also suffers from wears and cracks, especially in the locality of Benin al-Abdah in Tripoli. Individuals regularly sabotage pipes and use special pumps to suck a large amount of oil, which they can then use to smuggle into the local market.

In September, the Civil Defense extinguished a fire that broke out in a disused pipeline in the Abdeh region of North Lebanon. The pipeline, built nearly 90 years ago to transport oil from Iraq through Syria to Tripoli, was closed at the start of the Civil War in 1975.

Reporting contributed by Michel Hallak

BEIRUT — A leak in an Iraqi oil pipeline that passes through Syria and then crosses Akkar in North Lebanon caused oil to spill into the sea off the Abdeh-Akkar port, polluting fishermen's nets and threatening fish populations, L'Orient Today's correspondent in North Lebanon reported.A fisherman in Akkar shared a video exposing the oil spill in the sea, pointing out that "the water's smell is...