Port Harcourt Refinery Scales Down Operations for Upgrades, Assures Ongoing Fuel Distribution

The Port Harcourt Refining Company has clarified that its operations have not been fully suspended but scaled down to facilitate ongoing upgrades at the facility.

Moyi Maidunama, Executive Director of Operations at the Nigerian Pipeline and Storage Company Limited, disclosed this on Sunday during a guided tour of the refinery led by the company’s Managing Director, Ibrahim Onoja.

Speaking to journalists, Maidunama acknowledged a brief operational disruption but explained that the reduction in activities was necessary to address technical challenges and enhance the refinery’s capacity.

“The operations were not halted; they were reduced to accommodate essential improvements,” Maidunama said.

“We are managing the current process with available trucks, using a limited number of loading arms for evacuation. This issue should be resolved shortly.”

He assured the public that product distribution remains ongoing, with several trucks currently loading refined products, and emphasised that there would be no disruption in the process.

Worlu Joel, Terminal Manager of the Port Harcourt Depot, confirmed that the facility had resumed distributing various products, including Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), kerosene, and diesel. However, he expressed concern over the low turnout of tanker drivers.

“We have surplus products and operational loading arms, but we’ve had to appeal to tanker drivers to come and evacuate them,” Joel said.

“We’ve already loaded more than ten trucks and aim to dispatch at least 15 before the end of the day.”

Joel also noted that while the depot has 11 functional loading bays, only three are currently in use due to their high efficiency, with each bay capable of loading three trucks in 15 minutes.
“With 100 trucks, we could evacuate them all in under five hours,” he added.

Onoja highlighted the significant progress made at the refinery, citing extensive upgrades aimed at boosting efficiency and reliability.

“The plant is operational, and we are actively dispatching our products. We’ve undertaken a major overhaul, replacing key equipment, including pumps, instruments, and cables. This represents a substantial upgrade to the facility,” Onoja said.