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Long-planned maintenance rather than the knock-on effects of political upheaval in Bahrain is to blame for a cut in oil products output at state-owned Bahrain Petroleum Co (Bapco), its chief executive explained this week.
Output is down to 190,000 barrels per day (bpd) from a full capacity of 260,000 bpd mainly due to major refinery maintenance, CEO Faisal Mohamed Al Mahroos, pictured right, said.
"We have the biggest maintenance shutdown in our history. We have 190,000 barrels per day available at the moment. Our terminals are running as normal," he explained.
His message clearly dispelled unsubstantiated rumours by traders last week that the refinery was partially shut down due to staff shortages because of the unrest in the kingdom
Mr Al Mahroos said reduced production was mainly due to the maintenance, and that the operations were not affected much by the recent disturbances.
"We have 80 per cent attendance in our workforce," he told international news agency Reuters in a telephone interview. "We have done two shipments from our terminal over the weekend."
Shipping sources said on Sunday that Bahrain's ports were operating as normal.
The refinery, which started its major maintenance turnaround in February that shut down multiple units, was due to come back to full capacity in the first week of April.
Bapco's natural gas operations have not been affected by the unrest either, he said, adding that supplies to power stations and the aluminium industry continued.
"It hasn't slowed down or stopped," he said, adding that 30 per cent of the 1.5 billion cubic feet per day production was going to the aluminium industry, while another 30 per cent was for power generation.
"We run a local marketing business and this is where we have had a problem" Al Mahroos said, adding that at one stage 10 out of 40 petrol stations in the country were closed due to unrest.
He said the company was supplying 24,000 bpd of oil products to the domestic market.
Bapco was also building a 420,000 bpd lubricants plant for $400 million, Mr Al Mahroos said. "The construction is moving as normal. We should be starting in June."
