Ineos refinery strike could shut-in 700,000 bpd of North Sea crude oil – BP

LONDON, Apr. 22, 2008 (Thomson Financial delivered by Newstex) — The looming strike at the Ineos Grangemouth refinery in Scotland could reduce North Sea crude output by as much as 700,000 barrels per day (bpd), a British Petroleum spokesman said on Tuesday.

Ineos has started a staged shut-down of the refinery, ahead of a planned two-day workers’ strike over pensions currently due to begin this Sunday.


A full-shut down of the refinery would mean the closure of the BP (NYSE:BP) (TSX:BP’U) owned Forties Pipeline System, which carries 700,000 bpd of North Sea crude oil to the United Kingdom through the Ineos plant.

‘A full Ineos Grangemouth shut-down would impact essential services which are required to operate the Forties Pipeline System,’ said BP spokesman Richard Grant in Aberdeen, adding that the complete closure of the pipeline remained a possibility.

‘We are in ongoing discussions with Ineos to assess the situation.’

Thomson Financial