Pilipinas Shell 'most affected' by West Tower gas leak

Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. was the "most affected" oil firm when the First Philippine Industrial Corp. (FPIC) shut down its pipeline in Makati City due to a leak at the West Tower Condominium. "Because of the shutdown, Shell's supply was the most affected," Energy Department director Zenaida Monsada said over the weekend. FPIC — operator of the country's largest commercial oil pipeline — was forced to shutdown the pipeline twice to address concerns regarding the gas leak discovered at the basement of the West Tower on Osmeña Highway in Barangay Bangkal, Makati City. FPIC shut down the pipeline on July 12 but reopened it on July 15. It again shut the pipeline down on July 21 only to resume operations on July 24. Monsada said Pilipinas Shell officials reported that around 50 percent of Shell stations in Metro Manila experienced tight supply of gasoline and diesel products. Monsada said Shell decided to source fuel from other suppliers during the shutdown. Shell also decided to use barges and trucks to deliver its products to Metro Manila. The Metro Manila Development Authority has temporarily lifted the truck ban in Metro Manila to help normalize the fuel situation, Monsada said. Meanwhile, Energy Secretary Jose Rene Almendras said the FPIC petroleum pipeline is now being monitored for possible leaks after it was reopened Saturday night. "We started using the pipe last night [Saturday]. Makati City gave us the go signal to do so after the 13 test pits were completed. We have been monitoring and so far no leaks have [been discovered]," Almendras said. The source of the leak remains unclear but investigations are ongoing, according to the Energy Department. —JE/VS, GMANews.TV