The Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) of Nigeria Limited has supplied over 475,000 barrels of crude oil to the Port Harcourt Refining Company Limited (PHRC), through its Bonny Oil & Gas Terminal (BOGT).
This is according to a statement by Abimbola Essien-Nelson, SPDC’s Media Relations Manager.
She said the development was in furtherance of the commitment of the Federal Government Nigeria to increase domestic refining capacity, and make products more readily available in the country.
She explained that the BOGT resumed the crude oil supply last week after a prolonged outage of over five years, during which time the refinery underwent rehabilitation and integrity activities on its supply pipeline from BOGT.
Osagie Okunbor, Country Chair, Shell Companies in Nigeria and Managing Director, of SPDC, commented: “Teams from BOGT and PHRC worked through intensive preparations, collaboration, and dedication to make the project successful. This is indeed a significant step in the nation’s renewed efforts to utilise key infrastructures to assure the steady supply of products from the refining company to the Nigerian market.”
He added: “Future supplies from BOGT would be guided by the demand for the product.”
Osita Nnajiofor, Bonny Terminal Installation Manager, said: “Before implementing the supplies of the product to the refining company, the project teams first assured the integrity of pipelines relevant to NNPC Limited subsidiaries and integrity and maintenance activities on the BOGT refinery export pumps (which had been shut down for an extended period).”
He further added: “These actions resulted in the successful and safe completion of the refinery supply with no harm to people, environment, or equipment.
“The recommencement of crude oil supply from the Bonny Oil and Gas Terminal to the Port Harcourt Refining Company Limited is a significant achievement and a game-changer for the industry and the country and will support federal government’s aspiration of steady supply of petroleum products to the downstream market and other associated benefits to the economy of the nation.”
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) on January 15, said it was shopping for private entities that would take over the maintenance and operation of the Port Harcourt Refinery.