Global downstream news: 22nd April 2014

UK

A father and son have been rescued after their canoe capsized near to the Tranmere oil refinery on the Wirral peninsula.

Meanwhile, an American financier, Gary Klesch, could mount a last ditch bid to save Murco’s Milford Haven refinery. Klesch is among a handful of investors that have come forward to assist Murco UK.

Ukraine

OAO Mozyr Oil Refinery has resumed the shipment of oil products to Ukraine by river. By the end of April the company hopes to ship 8000 t of oil products to Ukraine. Mozyr Oil Refinery has not ruled out the possibility of shipping more by river in the future if the delivery solution proves its economic expediency.

Nigeria

Mid Oil and the South Atlantic Refining Company have proposed to the Lagos State government to establish refineries in the state.

If the firms’ proposals scale through, Lagos could be leading other states in terms of the number of oil refineries established anywhere in the country.

Azerbaijan

Consulting company Ernst & Young (EY) has conducted studies of the Baku Oil Refinery. According to SOCAR, the study was conducted within the framework of consultation on the modernization of production departments and enterprises. Optimization of their costs and increase of efficiency.

EY prepared a primary report on the basis of the analysis.

India

India’s Reliance Industries has sought environmental ministry approval for raising the capacity of their plants.

Reliance seeks to add a fifth crude train of 400 000 bpd, some polymer units and change the fuel for 450 MW of an already approved 2100 MW power plant from gas to coal.

New Zealand

A compressor breakdown has extended the Marsden Pt Oil Refinery’s planned shutdown by up to 10 days and could cost NZ Refining up to US$ 17 million in lost earnings.

Refining NZ communication and external affairs manager Greg McNeill said the problem, which led to the shutdown of the refinery’s hydrocracker that makes diesel, should not affect the country’s fuel stocks, but will hit the company’s bottom line.

Ecuador

Ecuador’s largest refinery, which has a capacity of 110 000 bpd, will cease operations completely between October and November for renovations.

During this time, a new reactor and regenerator will be installed in the refinery’s fluid catalytic cracking unit (FCC).

The total cost of the modernization will be approximately US$ 900 million.

Edited from various sources by Emma McAleavey.

Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/gas-processing/22042014/downstream_news_405/