Why We Cut Operations – PH Refinery

The Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC) has clarified reports that its refinery stopped loading petroleum products, stating that operations were merely reduced to accommodate necessary facility improvements.

Speaking to journalists during a tour of the refinery on December 1, Moyi Maidunama, Executive Director of Operations at the Nigerian Pipeline and Storage Company Limited (NPSC), explained that the refinery had not ceased operations.

“We are evacuating refined products, and this process will continue,” Maidunama assured. “Today, we’ve already dispatched several trucks and plan to dispatch many more. Operations were not halted but were temporarily reduced due to improvements we needed to make.”

Maidunama noted that while the refinery was still operating, it was managing the evacuation process with the limited number of trucks available and using a few loading arms. He emphasized that the situation would be resolved soon.

Meanwhile, Molokwuu Joel, the Terminal Manager of the Port Harcourt Depot, confirmed that product distribution, including premium motor spirit (petrol), kerosene, and diesel, was ongoing. However, he raised concerns about the low turnout of tanker drivers, which had delayed the loading process.

“We have been calling petroleum marketers since yesterday, but because today is the weekend, many tanker drivers have not turned up,” Joel explained. “If we had 100 trucks today, we could evacuate them in less than five hours. It’s not a problem on our end; it’s a challenge with the tanker drivers.”

Also Read: Port Harcourt Refinery Finally Begins Crude Oil Processing

Joel clarified that although the facility has 11 functional loading bays, only three were currently in use due to their high efficiency. Each bay can load three trucks within 15 minutes, maximizing output despite the reduced number of trucks.

Ibrahim Onoja, Managing Director of PHRC, spoke about the ongoing upgrades at the refinery. He confirmed that improvements had been made to enhance the plant’s efficiency and reliability.

“The plant is running, and we are trucking out our products. We’ve carried out a massive revamp, replacing most of the equipment, including pumps, instrumentation, and cables. This is a major upgrade for the facility,” Onoja said.

The Port Harcourt refinery, which had been dormant for several years, resumed crude oil processing on Tuesday, November 26. It also began loading petroleum products for truck distribution. According to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, the refinery is currently operating at 70 percent of its installed capacity, with plans to increase operations to 90 percent.