Halul Island

Halul Island is one of the most important islands belonging to the State of Qatar. Lying about 80km northeast of Doha, it serves as a storage area and loading terminal for oil from the surrounding offshore fields. One of the main bases for the Qatari Navy is located in Halul. The Coasts and Borders Security also have a base of operations on the island.It was frequented by pearling boats in the early 1900s.GeographyThe island lies 72 miles southeast of Ras Rakan, and around 50 miles northeast of the capital Doha. It is approximately 1 mile in length. The terrain is hilly and its highest peak is 202 feet. The island is visible from a distance of about 15 miles, and there is a reef around it which extends up to 0.2 miles offshore. The island is susceptible to shamal winds. Located 45 miles northeast of the island is the rocky and shallow Shah Allum Shoal.GeologyMost of the island's surface lies on the Paleozoic strata. The Cambrian period Hormuz Formation is the predominant surface layer. It is one of the only two territories of Qatar which lie on a Paleozoic surface. Iron oxides such as hematite and ochre are found on the island, but have been left unexploited due to the high costs of extraction and transportation.IndustryShortly after the commencement of oil activities, in the mid-1950s the government began investing resources to convert Halul into a major oil loading terminal. The significance of the island was further realized in the 1960s after the government began establishing offshore oil fields. Between 1964 and 1966, industrial infrastructure was constructed on the island., the island accommodates 11 external floating roof tanks with an overall capacity of 5 million barrels of crude oil.