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Trans Mountain oil carriers raise concerns about danger of delay to complete

Some shippers on Canada's Trans Mountain growth project are raising concerns that the longdelayed oil pipeline will not be fully in service by its forecasted start date of May 1, according to a letter to the Canada Energy Regulator on Tuesday.

Deliveries for all carriers will go through the broadened system's tolls and tariffs from that date, Trans Mountain Corp. informed in an email, including that line fill on the broadened. pipeline will be finished in early May.

However in a letter to the Canada Energy Regulator (CER),. carrier Suncor Energy stated reasonable concerns stay. over whether Trans Mountain will be able to deliver contracted. unrefined volumes from May 1 provided some sections of the pipeline are. still awaiting leave to open from regulators.

As an outcome shippers are concerned about the commitment to. pay tolls from the start of next month, stated the letter submitted by. Suncor's legal counsel on behalf of other carriers including BP. and Marathon Petroleum.

While it is possible that Trans Mountain may be able to. finish the physical building of Growth facilities by. May 1, 2024, there appears to be a real probability that those. facilities will not can supplying Company Service at that. time, said the letter, which appeared on the CER website.

The C$ 34-billion ($ 24.81 billion) project, purchased by the. Canadian federal government in 2018 to guarantee it went ahead, will bring. an extra 600,000 barrels per day (bpd) of oil from Alberta to. Canada's Pacific coast.

It has actually had problem with years of regulative delays and cost. overruns and Canadian oil producers are acutely anticipating its. start-up, which will open access to export markets on the. U.S. West Coast and Asia and need to narrow the rate discount on. Canadian heavy crude versus U.S. benchmark oil.

However a number of contracted shippers are locked in. dispute with Trans Mountain over tolls on the expanded system,. pointing out issues about substantial cost increases.

Trans Mountain is facing a variety of complaints from its. shippers, who have contracted 80% of the broadened pipeline's. volume.

In a separate filing on April 12, Canadian Natural Resources. Ltd, supported by Suncor and Imperial Oil,. composed to the CER arguing that the vapor pressure limit on the. broadened pipeline is too expensive and would injure the sales price of. the crude.

In its email on Tuesday, Trans Mountain likewise stated the very first. ship carrying crude from the pipeline expansion is expected to. load in the 2nd half of May.

Westridge Marine Terminal in the Port of Vancouver, where. the pipeline terminates, will have three berths able to load. vessels with oil, Trans Mountain stated. The dock has an optimum. capability of 630,000 bpd, or 34 partially laden Aframax-sized. tankers a month.

Typically, we anticipate one empty tanker in, one. partly packed tanker out every day with variability throughout. the year, a Trans Mountain representative said.

(source: Reuters)