Concerns raised over possible fuel shortage

We could be sitting on the brink of a major fuel shortage, with problems having shut down the single buoy mooring (SBM) offshore of Durban through which 80% of SA’s crude oil needs are landed, followed by a mechanical problem at the oil refinery which it supplies. The SBM is operated by Sapref, a joint venture between Shell and BP, and supplying crude for oil companies BP, Engen, Sasol, Shell and Total. According to a Sapref spokesman, some unplanned repairs had to be undertaken at the SBM towards the end of December – and, due to the nonavailability of crude oil while it was out of service, it was necessary for Sapref to shut down the production units in the refinery. But, despite efforts to get the flow of oil restarted, another problem then throttled the output of petrol/diesel from the refinery. “Repair work to the SBM was completed on January 4,” Sapref told FTW. “Crude oil supply resumed – and the force majeure (meaning an ‘unavoidable accident’ or ‘act of God’ in legal terms) was withdrawn.” But, during the shutdown of the refinery, a mechanical problem was encountered. “Start-up has been delayed,” Sapref said, “while this is being evaluated.” But no indication of when this will be successfully completed has been revealed, and the flow of fuels to KZN and Gauteng is still at a standstill. For those of you concerned about fuel supplies, the only answer, according to Sapref, is to contact the various oil companies. The government is aware of the problems stemming from this single supply line, and is busy with plans to try to sort it out. According to energy department spokesman Johannes Mokobane, the government had noted that the periodic “fuel availability challenges” indicated an urgent need for additional refining capacity, along with improvements in import infrastructure for liquid fuels. “In this respect,” he added, “government has commenced work towards the development of medium- to long-term policy frameworks and plans to alleviate the current problems experienced.”