15 October 2012, Sweetcrude, PORT HARCOURT – MANAGING Director of Port Harcourt Refining Company Limited, PHRC, Engineer Sylvester Idemudia, has lamented the effect of pipeline vandalism on the operations of the Port Harcourt refinery, saying irregular crude oil supply to the plant, caused by vandalism of the pipeline supplying crude, had hampered smooth operations of the refinery.
Idemudia told members of the House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream), who were on oversight visit to the refinery complex in Port Harcourt, that between January and September this year, there had been over 199 cases of vandalism on pipeline right of ways in Bonny and Port Harcourt.
“The crude supplied is not regular due to vandal’s activities along the pipeline right of ways in Bonny and Port Harcourt,” he stated, disclosing further that for Nigeria’s local refineries to function effectively, they need to be completely overhauled as most of the processing equipments are obsolete.
Hon. Dakuku Peterside, the chairman of the 42-member Committee, in his remarks, expressed surprise that the Port Harcourt refinery last underwent Turn Around Maintenance, TAM, 12 years ago.
He lamented: “If refineries are functioning optimally, we’ll not be in this mess (fuel scarcity). TAM then was not done with seriousness but we hope the money to be spent this time around will add value to the economy of the nation.”
