Venezuela's La Isla Refinery Restart Failed

yahoo.com ^ | January 20, 2003 | Fred Pals fred.palsdowjones.com, Dow Jones Newswire

[Cincinatus' Wife]

CARACAS (Dow Jones)--The planned restart over the weekend of the 335,000 barrels per day La Isla refinery at Curacao has failed due to technical glitches, a refinery spokeswoman said Monday.

"We have tried to restart several units, but technical problems have forced us to delay plans to bring the plant back on line," the spokeswoman said. She added that due to the technical problems certain parts of the units have to be flown in from abroad. She couldn't say by how long the planned startup has been delayed. The plant was scheduled to be back at full capacity within two weeks.

An attempt to restart a crude distillation unit that didn't suffer from technical problems will be made later Monday, she said.

Storage facilities have been drawn down sufficiently enough to restart the processing of around 200,000 b/d of gasoline. The plant was forced to shut down after an oil strike hit production and exports of Venezuela's state-owned oil monopoly Petroleos de Venezuela SA and storage facilities were full.

The production and exporting of around 200,000 b/d of gasoline are crucial for the gasoline supply in Venezuela, hit by an oil strike which entered its eighth week Monday. The La Isla refinery is leased by PdVSA.

The Venezuelan government still depends mostly on gasoline imports to fight a gasoline shortage. Only its 200,000 b/d Puerto La Cruz refinery is functioning. It's producing around 75,000 b/d.

By Fred Pals, Dow Jones Newswires; 58212-5641339; fred.palsdowjones.com;

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Oil accidents mount in Venezuela - Novice stand-ins blamed for chaos*** Meanwhile, three Venezuelan oil tanker captains who were stripped of their command last month for participating in the strike appeared in Miami on Monday to accuse their government of beating and threatening tanker crews and replacing them with unqualified Iraqi, Libyan and Cuban nationals.

''Members of the merchant marine have been tortured, threatened, detained and beaten,'' said Miguel Rodríguez, a dismissed PDVSA tanker captain. ``The government calls us pirates. Perhaps we are pirates, but for a good cause -- rescuing Venezuela.''***

[DeuceTraveler]

Maybe they need more Iranian specialists.

[razorback-bert]

We have tried to restart several units, but .... due to the technical problems certain parts of the units have to be flown in from abroad.

Blew all the circuit breakers in stock.

[Dog Gone]

Amateurs running refineries is not what OSHA likes to see.

[dtel]

So, how big a "boom" does a 335,000 bpd refinery make?
How does this one compare, in size, to the one in Big Spring?

[Dionysius]

Take heart! Jimmy Carter is down there. Things will soon go from bad to FUBAR. Another prize looms.

[deport]

How does this one compare, in size, to the one in Big Spring?

---

If you are referring to the Fina refinery that was bought by ALON then it's at 60,000 bpd........ expanded to 75,000.

[dtel]

That is the one.
Thanks.
A 335,000 bpd refinery, will indeed make a very, large 'boom'.

[Billthedrill]

Atlas Shrugged was only a novel. Atlas Shrugged was only a novel. Atlas Shrugged was only a novel. Atlas Shrugged was only a novel...

[StriperSniper]

Take heart! Jimmy Carter is down there.

Why? He's a nuclear engineer, not a petroleum engineer.

;-)

[StriperSniper]

I hope they are successful, we may need the model soon.

[Doctor Stochastic]

The Cosden refinery? With associated country club?

[razorback-bert]

If the beard were all, a goat might preach

Turkeys have beards, therefore mullas are turkeys!

[nightdriver]

A few PLC "modifications" done with a laptop in about 1 minute and I guarantee you that unit isn't running for anyone. The fix would take about a minute, too, for the right person.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Poor, poor Hugo.