Note 5 - Long-Term Debt and Interest Expense (Details) - USD ($)					3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Sep. 11, 2018	Apr. 02, 2018	Jan. 02, 2018	May 18, 2015	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2018	Jul. 01, 2015
Note 5 - Long-Term Debt and Interest Expense (Details) [Line Items]
Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents, Noncurrent					$ 23,366,000		$ 19,304,000
Loss Contingency, Damages Sought, Value					45,000,000
Amortization of Debt Issuance Costs					197,000	$ 191,000
Repayments of Short-term Debt					242,000
Notes Payable, Other Payables [Member] \| Affiliated Entity [Member]
Note 5 - Long-Term Debt and Interest Expense (Details) [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount	$ 7,000,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage	7.50%
Debt Instrument, Maturity Date, Description	September 2019
Proceeds from Related Party Debt					600,000		3,600,000
Notes Payable, Related Parties					4,200,000		3,600,000
Interest Payable					146,000		70,000
Insurance Premiums Financed Through Short Term Debt [Member]
Note 5 - Long-Term Debt and Interest Expense (Details) [Line Items]
Short-term Debt					321,000		$ 563,000
Notes Payable to Banks [Member]
Note 5 - Long-Term Debt and Interest Expense (Details) [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount				$ 120,000,000
Debt Instrument, Collateral				secured by, among other things, an overriding royalty interest in the Tamar Field, a natural gas field in the Mediterranean Sea, equal to 1.5375%, but is subject to increase to 2.7375% upon the Tamar project payout
Debt Instrument, Term				8 years
Debt Instrument, Covenant Description				So long as any amounts remain outstanding to the Lenders under the DB Facility, Tamar Royalties must, from and after the end of the Availability Period (as defined in the DB Facility), have a Historical Debt Service Coverage Ratio (as defined in the DB Facility) of not less than 1.00:1.00, a Loan Life Coverage Ratio (as defined in the DB Facility) of at least 1.1:1.00, and maintain a Required Reserve Amount (as defined in the DB Facility). The initial Required Reserve Amount was $4,680,000. In addition, Tamar Royalties is required under the DB Facility to hedge against fluctuations in LIBOR
Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents, Noncurrent				$ 4,680,000
Loss Contingency, Damages Sought							As noted above with regard to the payout of the Tamar Field, a disagreement between Tamar Royalties and Isramco Negev 2 Limited Partnership has emerged as to whether certain items may be included in the calculation of payout. At the time of initiating arbitration, the Company believed that the total scope of the claim was approximately forty-five million dollars ($45,000,000); however, this amount increases each month based on Isramco Negev 2 Limited Partnership’s failure to pay the increased, post-payout overriding royalty to the Company. Under the terms of the agreements creating the Tamar Royalty, the dispute is subject to arbitration in Israel. The Company expects that the matter will be resolved through this arbitration process. However, the Company cannot be assured of a favorable result resulting from this arbitration process. Accordingly, the Company continues to receive royalty payments at the lower rates as if the Investment Repayment Date has not occurred.Therefore, as a result of the dispute with the Isramco Negev 2, Tamar Royalties had a shortfall in its Royalties Receivables for the period (or part of the period) between 1st April 2018 and 1st April 2019.As a result, the Company believed Tamar Royalites required an additional $15,600,000 USD to cover payments under the amortization schedule of the DB Facility (the “Shortfall”), and the Company believed that curing the Shortfall was in the best interest of both Isramco Inc. and Tamar Royalties. Therefore, Isramco Inc. contributed the expected amount of the Shortfall, being $15,600,000 USD, to Tamar Royalties as an additional capital contribution and such contribution was made pursuant to the terms and conditions of that certain Consent and Agreement dated February 27, 2018, between and among Tamar Royalties, as Borrower, Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, as Facility Agent and Collateral Agent, and the Lenders party thereto. As a result of the aforementioned contribution, together with the terms and conditions of the aforementioned consent and assignment, Tamar Royalties remains in compliance with all covenants of the DB Facility.
Loss Contingency, Damages Sought, Value							$ 45,000,000
Repayments of Debt		$ 6,412,000	$ 6,757,000
Debt Issuance Costs, Net								$ 2,011,000
Debt Instrument, Unamortized Discount								2,959,000
Debt Instrument, Unamortized Discount and Deferred Finance Costs					$ 1,934,000		$ 2,131,000	$ 4,970,000
Notes Payable to Banks [Member] \| Principal [Member]
Note 5 - Long-Term Debt and Interest Expense (Details) [Line Items]
Repayments of Debt		5,400,000	5,700,000
Notes Payable to Banks [Member] \| Interest [Member]
Note 5 - Long-Term Debt and Interest Expense (Details) [Line Items]
Repayments of Debt		$ 1,012,000	$ 1,057,000
London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) [Member] \| Notes Payable to Banks [Member]
Note 5 - Long-Term Debt and Interest Expense (Details) [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Description of Variable Rate Basis				LIBOR for a three-month interest period
Debt Instrument, Basis Spread on Variable Rate				2.75%

ISRAMCO INC 10-Q