P’Harcourt refinery resumes petrol loading, marketers express concerns

After a week-long suspension of operations, the Port Harcourt Refining Company has resumed the loading and distribution of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol.

The sudden halt in petrol loading two weeks ago, with no official explanation, left many marketers stranded. However, activities at the refinery began to pick up on Monday, signaling a partial resumption of operations.

A visit to the refinery depot revealed that operations had commenced in earnest by midday. By 1:14 pm, trucks started entering the 18-arm loading bay. Seven trucks drove in shortly after and began loading PMS. By 4:30 pm, a total of 10 trucks had successfully loaded petrol, with indications that more would follow before the day’s end.

Safety measures were observed, as a fire service truck was stationed at the loading bay to mitigate potential risks. Despite the resumed operations, the activity level remained below capacity, with only three out of 18 arms at the loading bay functional.

Marketers expressed frustration over the intermittent disruptions to loading operations and the underutilization of the refinery’s infrastructure. One marketer, Liti, lamented the inefficiency, stating, “We are not happy over what is happening here. If operation is going on fully here you will see this place will be full of trucks and they can load up to 50 trucks before 6 pm.

“So let the government come and help us and make sure the refinery is working well.”

The refinery, originally built in 1963, has yet to resume production of kerosene and diesel. While some arms at the loading bay are designated for these products, they remain non-operational, further limiting the depot’s capacity.

In response to the earlier shutdown, the Chief Corporate Communications Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Olufemi Soneye, assured stakeholders that efforts were underway to restore full operations. Monday’s partial resumption aligns with these assurances, although much work remains to bring the facility to optimal capacity.

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