Repères 20/01/08 - La sécurité des tankers en question

Alors que le prix du baril de pétrole vient de percer la barre des 100$, un nouveau rapport de l'U.S.' Energy Information Administration met en évidence les six points d'étranglement maritime par où transite la moitié du pétrole mondial et les risques de blocage d'un seul de ces points d'étranglement maritime : "The blockage of a chokepoint can lead to substantial increases in total energy costs,"

World Oil Transit Chokepoints
EIA January 2008

"Chokepoints are narrow channels along widely used global sea routes. They are a critical part of global energy security due to the high volume of oil traded through their narrow straights. The Strait of Hormuz leading out of the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Malacca linking the Indian and Pacific Oceans are two of the world’s most strategic chokepoints. Other important passages include : Bab el-Mandab which connects the Arabian Sea with the Red Sea; the Panama Canal and the Panama Pipeline connecting the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans; the Suez Canal and the Sumed Pipeline linking the Red Sea and Mediterranean Sea; and the Turkish/Bosporus Straights joining the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea region to the Mediterranean Sea..."

 

Au même moment, le US Government Accountability Office (GAO) rend public un rapport de Mars 2007 sur les risques terroristes et la sécurité des ports accueillant des tankers :

Federal Efforts Needed to Address Challenges in Preventing and Responding to Terrorist Attacks on Energy Commodity Tankers
GAO December 2007

"U. S. energy needs rest heavily on ship-based imports. Tankers bring 55 percent of the nation’s crude oil supply, as well as liquefied gases and refined products like jet fuel. This supply chain is potentially vulnerable in many places here and abroad, as borne out by several successful overseas attacks on ships and facilities. GAO’s review addressed the types of threats to tankers and the potential consequences of a successful attack, measures taken to protect tankers and challenges federal agencies face in making these actions effective, and plans in place for responding to a successful attack and potential challenges stakeholders face in responding. GAO’s review spanned several foreign and domestic ports, and multiple steps to analyze data and gather opinions from agencies and stakeholders..."