A major planned turnaround and maintenance activity is currently being undertaken at Oman Oil Refineries and Petroleum Industries Company’s (Orpic’s) Mina Al Fahal Refinery for 45 days, between October 3 and November 16, 2017.
This shutdown, to ensure Orpic’s operations run safely and smoothly at all times, will be used to execute a number of maintenance activities in order to improve the operational performance of the refinery.
This planned turnaround is undertaken every 4 years to carry out Inspection and testing, debottlenecking projects, revamps and catalyst regeneration that are much needed to ensure refinery reliability and improved efficiency of all its downstream units.
The 45 day maintenance period will cover modifications to the existing plant to allow a full integration of the new units, being constructed under the Sohar Refinery Improvement Project (SRIP) and Muscat Sohar Product Pipeline (MSPP) project including a distribution depot in Jifnain, that are due for commissioning later in the year.
All product supply during the period of the planned turnaround has been scheduled through all Orpic’s delivery points to ensure smooth product delivery to all local marketing companies.
The turnaround is expected to have a total workforce of 2,200 and anticipated 1,000,000 man-hours at site. During the turnaround period, an increased level of traffic around the Mina Al Fahal area as well as an increased level of noise and flare is expected.
Therefore, Orpic relies on the community’s support and understanding during this period while it ensures its best to reduce the impact on the surrounding local community.