Repair works push back start-up of terminal operations

The start-up of Malaysia’s Tanjung Langsat oil and petrochemicals terminal, originally slated for April, has been delayed. According to media reports, this is the fourth time that the terminal operators have had to reschedule the start-up of the terminal, which had originally been expected to begin operations at 60% capacity by December 2008. However, a fire in August 2008 engulfed two of the eight storage tanks in the terminal. Though repair work will likely be completed by the end of June, terminal operators expect to start operations at 50-60% of its total capacity only in July. The two tanks that were gutted held 17,800 cubic meters (cu m) of gasoline and 8,000 cu m of naphtha, respectively, while three of the remaining six tanks that escaped the fire held a combined 15,300 cu m of 88 RON unleaded gasoline and methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE), a gasoline-blending component. The terminal may be fully operational by the end of the year. (May 27, 2009)