Bulletin 28 UNJLC Iraq

1. OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS

UNJLC held a meeting in Amman on 16th September to discuss the UNJLC Iraq exit strategy. This strategy had been agreed upon beforehand by the Humanitarian Coordinator.

UNJLC's operations in Iraq have been significantly reduced and will continue to scale down, with UNJLC operational activities to cease by end of September. UNJLC will continue to provide services in specific sectors; notably monitoring of the Fuel situation in Iraq, website updating, reporting, and the maintenance of information products for the OFFP. These remaining activities will be services provided by the UNJLC Core Unit in Amman/Rome or supported by partner organisations such as UNAMI or UNOPS.

All UNJLC international staff is currently deployed in Kuwait and Amman. Inside Iraq UNJLC national staff activities are continuing, particularly coordination activities in Basrah, and the finalisation of the warehouse survey in Baghdad.

The UNJLC website will continue to act as an overview and monitoring tool for the agencies and organisations concerned with the logistics situation inside Iraq. This bulletin is the last of the planned regular bulletins for UNJLC Iraq. The full archive of UNJLC Iraq bulletins can be found online.

The UNJLC will publish one further bulletin in early October outlining some specific highlights of the Iraq operation to date, and providing a summary of UNJLC Iraq activities.

Although the exact details are still under discussion, and subject to access to CPA and Ministries inside Iraq, the Fuel Planning Team will continue to provide a periodic overview of the fuel situation in Iraq. It is crucial that information on the availability of fuels and the resulting effect on the Iraqi population is analysed and disseminated.

If UNJLC logistics coordination activities are requested in the future, such activities can continue if embedded in an operational agency, with support provided by UNJLC Core unit in Amman/Rome.

2. SECURITY

Iraq: UNSECOORD reports that the majority of security incidents are concentrated in the Baghdad Region and Baghdad City. According to reports from the Coalition Forces, the pattern of security incidents indicates that the direct targets are the Coalition and civilian targets. The latter is especially a matter of heightened concern. A bomb blast occurred in a down town area of the city of Erbil in the North on September. The attack resulted in the death of three Coalition soldiers, at least one local person, and the injury of dozens more. The Mosul City Hall has also been under attack lately.

Baghdad: Security phase 4. Almost all of the UN international staff has been relocated to Amman. Only a limited number is still present inside the capital.
For the time being UNJLC Iraq activities are being coordinated out of the Amman office. If you would like further information about UNJLC staff or the events in Baghdad, please call + 962 6 569 2304.

Mosul: Security phase 4.
Relocation of most of the international staff from the Northern Governorates is now complete. Only about 20 staff remains in the North.

Basrah: Security phase 4.

A complete daily listing of security incidents can be found in the “latest press releases” section of the www.centcom.mil.

3. AIR OPERATIONS

Nearly all of UNJLC activities related to air operations have been handed over to UNHAS. Pending issues include the drafting and completion of the SAR Agreement.

UNHAS is now operating a light schedule to Baghdad and Erbil, while scheduled flights to Basrah continue to be suspended.

The UNHAS plan to re-initiate the air operations in Kuwait and Basrah has been delayed. However, all the agreements with the Government of Kuwait for the operation of UNHAS are ready.

Movement to Iraq is, of course, subject to strict security clearance from the Designated Official.

The standard baggage allowance remains at 25 Kgs. If passengers have a requirement to carry more than the standard allowance, SPECIAL APPLICATION MUST BE MADE AT THE TIME OF PASSENGER SEAT BOOKING.

UNHAS continues to be involved in the assistance for arrival and return of Iraqi families. Since the tragic bombing incident in Baghdad on 19 August, a large number of UN national staff from Baghdad has been either re-located or evacuated to Amman. This number is close to 300.

UNJLC assisted UNHAS in coordinating the receiving and claiming of the cargo comprised of personal belongings of the international staff re-located from Northern Iraq in the past two weeks. A total of three cargo flights transported this luggage in the second week of September.

In recognition of the recent increase in the need for official travel to Jordan by Contractors and military groups, the OCPA has authorised a "pay-as-you-go" charter flight between Baghdad International Airport (BIAP) and Amman (Marka Airport) for OCPA authorised travellers. The service is planned to depart from Amman at 08:00, arrive BIAP at 11:00, depart BIAP at 12:00 and arrive Amman at 13:00 local time. Initially, the charter service will fly up to 48 passengers on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Travelers can register for the flight by contacting Chuck Litzleman of the Iraqi Assistance Centre, Jordan at ChuckLitz@hotmail.com or + 962 7748 5998. In conjunction with the flight arrival and departure times, the US company, CusterBattles, will offer a shuttle service between BIAP the Republican Palace, the Sheraton/Palestine hotels and the IAC/Al-Rasheed. Please consult with Chuck Litzleman for details.

UNHAS AIRCRAFT ASSETS AND UTILISATION

The UNHAS fleet currently consists of:

1. Passenger Aircraft. Two Beechcraft 1900 and an ATR 42. The ATR 42 now operates 6 times a week between Amman and Baghdad. In theory this aircraft can carry 48 passengers with 25kg of baggage each and one tonne of cargo. However, lack of availability of fuel together with restrictions on passengers processing in Baghdad, limits the planned passenger load to 30 for the time being. Detailed information about the ATR 42 is on the website.

2. Cargo Aircraft. Apart from the limited capacity offered by the Beechcraft and ATR aircraft, there is no cargo capacity. UNHAS is exploring the possible use of military C-130's with counter measures for flights into BIAP.

4. BORDER CROSSING AND CUSTOMS

UNJLC coordinated a meeting on 9 September with UN agencies,the High Commissioner of Aseza, the Director General of the Ports Corporation, and the Director of Aqaba Customs. The purpose of the meeting was to address the bottlenecks faced by many UN agencies at the port of Aqaba, primarily linked to congestion in the container terminal, and ensure the expedited processing of humanitarian supplies through the port.

The agencies have several issues of concern and among them are delays in vessel berthing that can take 3-4 days along with a new imposed congestion surcharge; lack of storage and limited number of cranes causing significant congestion; poor organisation of the UN container storage area; a number of containers that are being expected by the agencies in the next coming three months; and, considerations of using an alternative corridor to avoid the overcrowding and resulting delays.

The High Commissioner of ASEZA ensured his commitment to facilitate the movement of humanitarian cargo. It is expected that by the end of next month, additional yards will be establish. It is hoped efficiency will be increased by 50%.

A UNJLC Liaison Assistant was deployed to Aqaba on 15 September to assess situation and familiarise himself with the operations of the port. The Assistant will be contacting the High Commissioner of ASEZA for clarity regarding the yard that is intended for UN agency use.

A border crossing map is available on the website.

5. TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE

As mentioned in the last Bulletin, a transport survey has been re-started started. The survey is funded by UNOPS and will be carried out by Nazha Company. This project will assess the cargo transport capacity in Iraq in light of the developing needs of the humanitarian reconstruction and commercial demand for transport. This survey is also partially in response to requests from the humanitarian and commercial sectors for information on transport options inside Iraq, and the refusal by some international transporters to deliver to end points in Iraq.

There are now new requirements for escort services. HACC-West has received new directives from Central Command in Baghdad requiring UN agencies and NGOs to provide a 216-hour (9 days) notification of convoys requiring escort from the Trebil border. The format of the request must contain the 5 W's:

Who: The name/organization of who is in the convoy i.e., Iraqi or Jordanian drivers, etc., who is point of Contact for delivery;
What: Items being transported, quantity of trucks and support vehicles, Method of transport i.e. by container truck, SUV, etc;
When: Time/date convoy will be at Trebil ready for departure;
Where: The exact location they will be going to, including GRID or LAT/LON if known;
Why: Reason for needing an escort, i.e., high value/need unique circumstances, etc.

5.1 UMM QASR PORT UPDATE

The port has seen a very busy month. The Ro-Ro berth has been the most active with vessels from Dubai and Jebel Ali arriving on a daily basis. Container vessels regularly come from Dubai and Jebel Ali. A couple of sugar shipments from WFP have also arrived. There will be an increased security presence at the port from the end of September, along with a new contingent of international security guards arriving. This will certainly improve the overall security situation inside the port.

The Mina Al Bakr terminal will export about 30 million barrels of crude oil by the end of September. This will take place in the next 2-3 months. Currently, only two berths are operational and it is expected that a 3rd berth will become operational soon. Some vessels at the terminal experienced flow rates of up to 80,000 barrels last week, which is a marked improvement. This will be reduced considerably during simultaneous loadings.

About 96 containers with LPG bottles (under the OFFP) are due to arrive soon at the Umm Qasr port. The distribution plan for these bottles - badly needed in the South of the country - is still unknown.

6. LOGISTICS COORDINATION

On 10 September, a logistics coordination meeting was held in Amman. The purpose of the meeting was to provide updates regarding regional logistics; the latest UNHAS briefing; updates regarding the logistical constraints faced by agencies; and provide updates on the movement of humanitarian supplies through Jordan – updates on the border and the Aqaba port.

The concerns and issues raised include small cargo on regular UNHAS flights. UNHAS has stated that if the agency requests the cargo movement officially using the standard forms on the UNJLC/UNHAS web site, UNHAS can accommodate requests by balancing the passenger and cargo requirements.

Agencies' concerns about the delays in the Aqaba Port and receiving of the cargo inside of Iraq were reiterated.

With enhanced management, the assignment of a UNJLC Logistics Liaison Officer, additional container forklifts (ETA Oct), and the other activities resulting from the mentioned meeting held in Aqaba on 9 Sept 03, it is hoped that it will be possible for cargo to move through the port more quickly.

If cargo can not be discharged inside of Iraq this could cause significant shortage of storage capacity in Aqaba and Zarka – which would have the major implications for the Oil for Food Programme activities.

UNJLC national staff in Basrah coordinated a logistics meeting on 17 Sep. UNJLC coordinated arrangements for the transfer of funds from Kuwait to Basrah to be able to continue the "remote control operations." The Agencies are also facing problems in the transport of cargo from Kuwait to Basrah. UNJLC is taking a lead in finding a solution to this problem.

In Basrah, UNJLC continues to facilitate car maintenance support for the UN Agencies through three Iraqi companies and two international ones. The lack of maintenance of the UN vehicles has become a security problem.

UNJLC installed two 18 000 L tanks in the UN Basrah House: one for diesel and one for petrol. A project for a protective wall and ceiling is also being worked out.

7. CIVIL-MILITARY COORDINATION

UNJLC continues updating a database (attached) of the CMCoord/CIMIC/CA structure in Iraq.

UNJLC has re-established the links with the HOC, GoK, UK LO, US LO in the lower south.

CIMIC continues attending the UNJLC meetings at the UN Basrah House.

UNJLC has been requested to coordinate the movement of the UN Agencies into the UNIKOM compound in Basrah.

8. FUEL

The supply of domestically-refined fuels has partially recovered since major sabotage to Kirkuk-Baiji pipelines in late August drastically reduced production by limiting crude feed to the Baiji and Daura refineries. Iraqi and Coalition engineers have been particularly successful in implementing workarounds to Baiji - the country's largest – although less so with Daura. With completion of repairs not expected before the end of this month, overall refinery production is not expected to recover to the pre-sabotage levels until October.

Despite reduced supplies from refineries, an unprecedented level of gasoline imports has both ensured adequate current supplies and appears to have allowed the re-establishment of buffer stocks. In fact, gasoline supplies are so abundant that the black market for it has all but disappeared, as have queues at petrol stations. This has had a significant calming effect on the level of frustration within the urban populace.

Diesel supplies have also improved significantly, in part because production was generally less affected by the Kirkuk-Baiji pipeline sabotage and in part because long-awaited diesel imports have commenced. Supplies do not yet meet demand and there are still shortages and an active black market but availability is probably better than at any time in the past two months. This has probably also been assisted by effective counter-smuggling operations and new production from small regional refineries.

At the same time, kerosene shortages are becoming more evident, together with a substantial increase in the black market price. Used as a heating fuel, September and October kerosene consumption is generally double that of mid-summer and increases a further threefold by December. With Iraq's refineries unable to match winter seasonal demand with winter production, substantial stockpiling is necessary during the summer and autumn. The Ministry of Oil usually builds up reserves of 400 million litres by mid-November. This has not occurred to the extent required because of the limited performance of the refineries in the five months post-conflict and the high demand for diesel production since early July. Unless a great deal more refining capacity is devoted to kerosene – as may be possible given that diesel imports have commenced – and unless kerosene imports are commenced, there may be severe shortages of kerosene in winter, especially in the north.

For Fuel availability in Iraq please see the website.

9. OTHER

UNHAS Duty Officer. UNHAS has a duty officer who can be contacted in case of EMERGENCIES ONLY. It is NOT a number for passenger enquires which may be made at the times and with the points of contact listed at para 10 below. The Duty Officer's phone number is + 962 796 726 723.

UNHAS and UNJLC Offices. The UNJLC and UNHAS are located in Amman at: PO Box 941631, Amman 11194. The UNJLC is very near (50m to the East) to the UNDP building and in what is known to some as the old UNHCR building. There is no house number but there is a UNJLC sign on the gate. UNHAS and the UNJLC Air Cell are in the WFP Annex B building which is also close to the UNDP building; see address at para 10 below. Both locations are in the district of Shmeisani. Points of contact are as follows.

UNHAS - Passenger and Cargo Bookings:

• For entitled passengers and cargo users only (see UNHAS SAOPs)
• Opening days/hours: Sunday – Thursday/0900 - 1300
• Kjersti Bang, Omar Abdullah, Saba Jamil and Jackline Saad