Shell: Fuel supply to stabilize by mid-next week amid FPIC pipeline closure

Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. on Friday said its fuel supply in Metro Manila will normalize by mid-next week even though the Batangas-Manila pipeline of First Philippine Industrial Corp. (FPIC) will be temporarily inoperative. Shell said it will position a supply ship off the Pasig River to maximize barging activities of petroleum products to the Pandacan Depot in Manila. “As a result, Shell expects oil supply to normalize by mid-next week. Timely government action, in support of these alternative supply activities at both local and national levels, significantly helped cushion the impact of the pipeline shutdown on the public," Shell said in a statement. Last week, the FPIC pipeline — which delivers fuel of Shell and Chevron Philippines from Batangas to Manila — closed down after an oil leak in a portion of the pipeline was discovered. The oil leak has been seeping into the basement of the 22-story West Tower condominium in Barangay Bangkal, Makati City. “In response to the continued shutdown of the Batangas-Manila petroleum pipeline, Shell continues to deploy alternative supply arrangements in order to ensure the continuity of supply to its customers in the Metro Manila areas," Shell said. “We continue to work closely with FPIC to fully assess the impact of the issue on our operations and the publics that we serve," said Bobby Kanapi, Shell vice president for communications. Chevron, for its part, assured that they have enough petroleum supply over the weekend. At present, Chevron is identifying longer-term supply arrangements in anticipation of an extended shutdown of the pipeline. “We are looking at putting into place longer-term supply arrangements in order to assure Metro Manila of a reliable and safe supply of fuel to cover for the likelihood of an extended shutdown," said Mark Quebral, Chevron manager for policy, government, and public affairs. These long-term arrangements include barging, tank-truck bridging, and alternate supply site sourcing. -- JE/OMG, GMANews.TV