Page 7 - AfrOil Week 29 2021

AfrOil PIPELINES & TRANSPORT` AfrOil

Wakasenza explained that URC had carried as a Tanzanian-registered ship known as the
out the trial shipment in a bid to open up a new Umoja, he said.
delivery route for refined fuels. Uganda imports Kenya has also sought to use Lake Victoria
nearly all of its petroleum products via Kenya as a delivery route for petroleum products, with
by road and pipeline and is eager to diversify, he state-controlled Kenya Pipeline Co. (KPC) using
said. a specialised ship to transport rail tankers full of
“We are comfortable with Mombasa, but as a fuel across the lake to destinations in Tanzania
country we need an alternative route for strate- and Uganda. The company conducted a dry-run
gic reasons,” he told Bloomberg. “We are target- test of this route in 2010, as well as a wet-run test
ing oil because it is a product used daily.” that involved the transfer of petroleum products
John Friday, Uganda’s assistant commis- from Kisumu to the Ugandan port of Jinja. ™
sioner for petroleum supplies, noted that the
East African country was currently consum-
ing about 185mn litres per month of fuel.
Wakasenza added that the rail route would
be able to handle an initial 10-20mn litres per
month of petroleum products, with volumes ris-
ing eventually to 40mn litres per month, assum-
ing that URC acquires a sufficient number of rail
tankers.
He also indicated that the state-run railway
operator was looking to expand its capacity to
transport petroleum products by water across
Lake Victoria. Currently, he said, URC has
one vessel capable of holding 880 tonnes and
making 10 voyages per month and is repair-
ing a second vessel of the same capacity. It also
has access to a Kenyan boat that can transport
around 4-6mn litres per month of fuel, as well URC aims to open up a new fuel delivery route (Photo: Tanzania Ports Authority)

INVESTMENT
ANPG prepares to review all 45 bids

received for nine onshore blocks

ANGOLA ANGOLA’S National Oil, Gas and Biofuels we strongly believe in the potential of the nine
Agency (ANPG) is ready to begin reviewing blocks on offer. We hope to find the right part-
all the proposals it has received in this year’s ners to explore them at the end of this process. It
onshore licensing round, which covers nine is our fervent hope that these blocks will play an
onshore blocks in the Lower Congo and Kwanza important role in increasing oil production from
basins. Angola in the future.”
ANPG announced last week that it had ANPG’s announcement won praise from
received a total of 45 bids from 15 different com- Verner Ayukegba, the senior vice-president of
panies for the blocks included in the auctions. the African Energy Chamber.
The combined value of these offers amounts to Ayukegba described the decision to conduct
more than $1bn, it stated. the licensing round as the product of the Ango-
It also said that its technical teams had been lan government’s effort to adopt constructive
tasked with analysing the proposals over the new policies. “These promising initial results
next few weeks, so that the results could be are a good indication that reforms made earlier
announced on August 25. to improve the operating environment in the
The agency did not reveal any details of the Angolan oil and gas sector are bearing fruit,” he
bids, but Natacha Massano, an ANPG board said.
member who also serves as executive director, The blocks included in the auctions were
said she expected the licensing round to have CON-1, CON-5, CON-6, KON-5, KON-
positive results. 6, KON-8, KON-9, KON-18 and KON-20.
Massano, who will be responsible for leading According to a previous announcement from
negotiations with the winners of the auctions, ANPG, CON-6 attracted the most attention,
commented: “From the initial data we have, drawing no less than six offers.

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