Trans-Arabian Pipeline

In its heyday, it was an important factor in the global trade of petroleum, as well as in American–Middle Eastern political relations, while locally helping with the economic development of Lebanon.

The Iraq Petroleum Company had completed the twin 12-inch Kirkuk-Haifa oil pipeline in 1934 and already laid a 16-inch loop in 1948-1949 and reached a nameplate capacity of 250,000 barrels per day.

[3] The 12-inch Haifa branch and the almost completed 16-inch loop line of the Kirkuk–Haifa oil pipeline had to shut down in April 1948 due to the regional conflict, and it never opened again.

A modernization program including the installation of four 5,000hp gas turbine auxiliary pumps in existing stations with a planned increase by 90,000 bbl/day was underway.

[3] Due to the attack tons of oil spilt into the Sea of Galilee and both Aramco and the Saudi government lost significant revenues.

[3] After years of constant arguing between Saudi Arabia and Syria and Lebanon over transit fees, the emergence of oil supertankers, and pipeline breakdowns, the section of the line beyond Jordan ceased operation in 1976.

While the pipeline was considered groundbreaking and innovative at the time it was built, were it still operational to this day it would be considered somewhat outdated — nowadays, most modern long-distance pipelines constructed beginning in the second half of the twentieth century have been built to a diameter of 42 inches (1,070 mm) or 48 inches (1,220 mm) and are thus able to transport considerably more crude oil per day than Tapline did in its heyday.

In early 2005, rehabilitation of the Tapline at an estimated cost of US$100 to US$300 million was one of the strategic options being considered by the Jordanian government to meet oil needs.

[9] Initially only a dirt and gravel road used by ARAMCO and the Saudi Government it was widened and paved by 1965 due to use by civilian and commercial traffic.