Bapco production levels return to normal after Aramco attack

Bahrain Petroleum Company’s (Bapco) production levels have returned to normal after Saudi Aramco resumed pumping oil to the refinery through the joint pipeline, said Oil Minister Shaikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Khalifa yesterday. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Forum on Competitive Energy Systems, Shaikh Mohammed said National Oil and Gas Authority (NOGA) has activated the contingency plans regarding steps to be taken in the event of any disasters or accidents that may affect the oil sector in the future.

Shaikh Mohammed expressed the readiness of Bapco to meet the modern standards launched by the International Maritime Organisation. “Bapco is preparing to cope with the new market that needs clean and environmentally friendly fuels, all of which have been carefully selected technologies. The project is still in the process of being constructed and 30 per cent has been completed. It is on schedule and it is hoped that we will start operating in the next two years.

”He pointed out that the production capacity after the expansion of the refinery will reach nearly 400,000 barrels, pointing out that Bahrain today is on the verge of many opportunities that will contribute to advancing the economy. Saudi Aramco has emerged from the September 14 attacks on its oil facilities “stronger than ever”, chief executive officer Amin Nasser told employees in a message, a few days ago.

“The fires that were intended to destroy Saudi Aramco had an unintended consequence: they galvanised 70,000 of us around a mission to rebound quickly and confidently, and Saudi Aramco has come out of this incident stronger than ever,” said the message, released on the occasion of the Saudi National Day, to be celebrated on September 23. Nasser added that the attacks “cemented to the world the great importance of Saudi Arabia and its oil industry.” Nasser also commended Saudi Arabia’s civil defence forces, and heroic employees, who helped in containing the damage of the attacks.

“We have another reason for national pride and that is the great accomplishment the heroic employees, in support of civil defence teams, achieved in containing the damage from the sabotage attacks,” he said. Houthi rebels have claimed responsibility for the drone attack on the world’s largest oil processing facility in Saudi Arabia which is vital to global energy supplies. The attacks on the processor and a major oilfield, operated by Saudi Aramco, sparked a huge fire, the Kingdom’s interior ministry said.

According to Reuters, threes sources claimed the assault had disrupted output and exports, with one source claiming five million barrels per day of crude production had been impacted – nearly half the Kingdom’s output. A military spokesman for Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for the strikes, saying 10 drones had been deployed in the attack. The Saudi-led coalition has launched airstrikes on Yemen’s northern Saada province, a Houthi stronghold, a Reuters witness said.