Yemen restarted crude oil processing at its Aden refinery this week, after a shutdown lasting more than five months due to the country’s worsening conflict. Reuters cited an unnamed industry source as saying that “the refinery is back online and refining crude it had in storage from before.”
The refinery has nameplate capacity of 150,000 b/d, but only one of its two 75,000 b/d crude distillation units (CDU) has been restarted. The plant normally processes locally produced Marib crude, which is sent by pipeline from Marib Basin fields to the port of Hodeidah, from where it is shipped to Aden in tankers. MEES estimated Yemen’s overall oil output at almost 110,000 b/d in April, as hostilities worsened, down from an average of around 160,000 b/d in 2014 (MEES, 3 April). Since then almost all oil producing operations have been halted. Aden refinery was shut down in April after Houthi rebels overran the port city. In the build-up to the capture, there were reports of damage to the refinery and a blaze in three storage tanks after a mortar attack. Since then, products shortages in the Aden area were worsened by a Saudi naval blockade, which prevented tankers entering Aden and other ports. (CONTINUED - 314 WORDS)
