By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, MAY 5 -- InterOil Corp., The Woodlands, Tex., Thursday shipped refinery process vessels, main heaters, and other major equipment for a new refinery it is building in Papua New Guinea. The new 32,500 b/d refinery, the country's first, is expected to start up by Dec. 31.
Construction on the refinery jetty is nearing completion, and InterOil will off-load the equipment directly at the refinery site. The current shipment is expected to arrive in Papua New Guinea on June 5, and a final shipment, primarily process columns, is scheduled to depart Houston in June.
InterOil is developing an integrated energy business on Papua New Guinea consisting of extensive exploration, the refinery, and retail assets. BP Singapore Pty. Ltd. will supply all crude oil to the refinery, and Shell Overseas Holdings Ltd., in contracts valued at $1.4 billion, will receive most of the refinery's product.