Marsden Pt fuel production cut 10 to 15 per cent

Press, 19 May 1987, Page 10

Marsden Pt fuel production cut 10 to 15 per cent

PA Auckland Fuel production at the Marsden Point refinery has been cut 10 to 15 per cent and could be slashed further this week unless coastal oil tanker schedules return to normal. The New Zealand Refining Company intends to review its prospects today and could shut down one of the refinery’s two distillation units if a solution to a tanker crewing problem is not in sight Although fuel stocks at the country’s ports were described last evening as still “reasonable,” this would cut production at Marsden Point about 50 per cent and soon cause supply worries.' The Ministry of Energy has warned the refinery may be forced to a total

shutdown by early next month. With one of the four coastal tankers the Amokura stranded with insufficient crew qualified under new dangerous cargo regulations and two other vessels working restricted hours, the refinery has all but run out of product storage space. Its production planning manager, Mr Robin Gunstan, said last evening that there would have to be some certainty the Amokura could put to sea by the week-end before the refining company decided to keep both distillation units running. The Amokura is already a week behind schedule, with a ban by nautical instructors on short unscheduled courses preventing its crew from receiving urgent training.

But a glimmer of hope emerged , last evening after an internal meeting of Ministry of Transport marine heads to consider proposals from the tanker operating company, Union Shipping. . The Marine Division director, Mr Hugh Jones, said serious consideration had been given to the proposals and that it was now up to the Union Com? pany to discuss these with the Merchant Service Guild.

The company is understood to believe that tanker training standards New Zealand adopted six months ago are more strict than those required under an international covenant. But Mr Jones declined to indicate what was proposed and the company would not comment.