Eric Watkins
Senior Correspondent
LOS ANGELES, Mar. 30 -- Oil facilities were damaged at Ghana's Port of Tema Mar. 25 when a Greek fishing vessel caught fire, killing 13 crew members and destroying a pipeline linked to the nation's sole refinery.
Ghana's Energy Minister Mike Ocquaye ordered the state-owned Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) closed to prevent further losses after the fire damaged the crude oil pipeline carrying imports to the facility, about 20 km east of the port.
Officials at the 45,000 b/d refinery, which processes all of Ghana's imported crude, announced that fuel deliveries could continue for several weeks despite the destruction of the fuel pipeline.
According to the US Energy Information Administration, TOR primarily processes Bonny Light/Brass River crudes from Nigeria. EIA said Ghana consumed about 40,490 b/d of oil products in 2002.
Speaking to Radio Ghana over the weekend, Managing Director K.K. Sarpong said that sufficient refined products are in stock to meet the country's needs for about 3 weeks while the oil pipeline is undergoing repair. He gave no indication, however, of the amount of time needed for the repairs.
While the refinery also has crude oil in store for continued processing, Sarpong acknowledged that absent repairs, no new supplies of crude oil can be discharged from tankers through the damaged pipeline to the refinery.
The fire was said to have started when sparks from a welder on the MV Polaris ignited oil floating on the water's surface. The oil reportedly was from the refinery's pipeline, which is said to have been leaking for more than a week.
The fire burned for 10 hr before being brought under control. In addition to the refinery, the blaze damaged the Volta River Authority pumping house and several other vital facilities.
