January 22, 2019:

Total , French oil company has embark on a 60,000bpd Ikike project in the OML 99 licence offshore Nigeria. The company has earmarked Ikike project for a final investment decision(FID) Other projects earmarked for FID include the deepwater Preowei project, which will have a capacity of 70,000bpd and is expected to help Total increase its oil production. Total CEO Patrick Pouyanne was quoted by Reuters as saying: “There is a huge potential in Nigeria, it is probably the most prolific country in West Africa in terms of oil and gas and it is time to launch new projects and we are working on many of them.” The development comes after Total and its partners started production from the Egina oilfield located offshore Nigeria, earlier this month.

Being developed using floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) unit, the field lies in a water depth of 1,600m. It is capable of producing 200,000 barrels of oil a day at the plateau. Pouyanne said that the company also has plans for its liquefied natural gas (LNG) project expansion in Nigeria. Adding that the oil and gas sector had been inactive in Nigeria in recent years with regard to exploration and new projects over uncertainties, Pouyanne is urging Nigeria to issue new exploration licences to the company.

Total is also developing the first oilfield in Uganda with China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC). The company is expected to make an FID this year on whether to start production.

By https://leadership.ng/

January 22, 2019:

Indian Oil Corp, the country’s top refiner, will shut half of its 300,000 barrels per day Panipat refinery in northern Haryana state for about a month from mid-February for maintenance, a company spokesman said. The refiner will shut a 150,000 bpd crude unit. It will also shut a sulfur recovery unit, hydrocracker, diesel hydrotreater, and coker among others for planned maintenance. During the shutdown IOC will mobilise naphtha from other plants for the 800,000 tonnes per annum cracker associated with the plant, a company source said. From mid-March, IOC will shut one of eight heaters attached to its Panipat naphtha cracker for 45 days, the spokesman said. The company source said the shutdown of one the heaters would curtail the refiner’s naphtha production to 350 tonnes per hour from an average of about 400 tonnes per hour.

By Reuters

January 22, 2019:

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of  Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has urged government to revoke the licences issued to non-practising companies and individuals on modular and private refineries. The association in a statement  urged the government to immediately revoke and re-issue  them to operators with technical and financial capabilities.  It said the establishment of modular refineries, which the government promised, should be vigorously pursued.

It also expressed its opposition to the current operating model for the nation’s refineries describing  the model as unsustainable. The Association called  for the adoption of Nigeria LNG Limited’s business model “after the refineries must have been rehabilitated for them to yield better dividends to the nation’s economy.” PENGASSAN commended the efforts of the Federal Government through the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation at ensuring adequacy and consistent supply of Premium Motor Spirit throughout the festive season. It, however, called on the government to increase local refining capacity and remove all observed encumbrances to full rehabilitation of all the four refineries. The association also advised that the government should initiate a more workable and sustainable intervention by incorporating more investors into local refining. It “frowned on the conflicting pronouncements over inadequate funding and crude supply as well as staff attrition challenges, which are currently hindering smooth operations of the refineries.” PENGASSAN called for an increase in crude supply, capital raising and the employment of more qualified manpower. The association also condemned what it called “the lingering anti-labour practice perpetrated by some indigenous oil companies operating in the country against their employees, especially Nigerian workers.” It vowed to resist “their nefarious acts on the workers who are also citizens of Nigeria.”

By https://www.vanguardngr.com/

January 10, 2019:

Shell Eastern Petroleum (Shell) was fined S$400,000 for a fire at a petroleum refinery in Pulau Bukom on 21 August 2015 which caused varying degrees of burns in six workers.  The Ministry of Manpower revealed that the company was charged under section 11(a) of the Workplace Safety and Health Act for failing to implement adequate control measures to ensure compatibility of works carried out at the refinery.  Investigations revealed that there was a systemic failure in Shell’s oversight to check for compatibility of different work activities carried out within the same vicinity at the same time.  Hence, on 21 August 2015, the hot works and cold works carried out by two groups of workers in the same vicinity were not coordinated, creating a situation where flammable vapours generated by the cold works was ignited by sparks from the hot works. 

In the process of escaping from the fire, six workers sustained varying degrees of burns. Two workers who were closer to the fire suffered about 50% and 70% burns. The fire was contained and extinguished by the Bukom Emergency Response Team within 30 minutes.  Commenting on the incident, Er. Go Heng Huat, MOM’s Director of the Major Hazards Department, said: “The refinery, as a major hazard installation, must properly manage safety and risk control measures. The lives of workers and the public could have been put at risk because adequate control measures were not properly implemented. Even though there was no loss of life in this case, the potential for more severe consequences was evident.”  He also noted that MOM will continue to strengthen its enforcement of companies’ workplace safety and health practices, including prosecution when there have been infringements that put the lives of workers at risk.

By humanresourcesonline.net/

January 9, 2019:

BLAINE — Local library fundraisers got a big holiday gift this season, $100,000 pledged by the BP Cherry Point Refinery to launch the major capital campaign for a public library in Birch Bay.  Representatives of the Whatcom County Library System and Friends of the Birch Bay Library met Dec. 17 with officials of the refinery on the site of the future library to celebrate BP’s lead gift. WCLS purchased property at 7968 Birch Bay Drive in 2017 and is working closely with library supporters in raising the funds necessary to build the community library.  With BP’s donation, the Friends now have $120,000 toward their ultimate goal of approximately $3.7 million to complete the project.   BP’s gift is held by the Whatcom County Library Foundation until the project reaches “shovel ready” stage. Fundraising is expected to take around five years.  A schematic design and exterior rendering by Zervas Architects can be viewed online at https://www.wcls.org/birchbay/, as can a brief video showing fly-though animation of the proposed library.  Donations for the project can be made by clicking on the yellow Donate button at the bottom of the page.

By Lynden Tribune