Adnoc importing crudes for Ruwais refinery

Abu Dhabi's state-owned Adnoc will receive the latest in a number of unusual overseas crude shipments for processing at its 817,000 b/d Ruwais refinery.

Around 600,000 bl of Shabwa blend were loaded on the Carmel at Yemen's Rudham terminal on 20 January with a destination of Abu Dhabi's Jebel Dhanna terminal, according to Vortexa. The tanker was chartered by Austria's integrated OMV, which operates a producing block in Yemen's Shabwa governorate.

Built in the 1960s, Jebel Dhanna has only operated as a Murban export facility. But, it received another Shabwa cargo and one of Nigeria's Forcados crude in December, Vortexa said. Both are heavier than Murban. The Ruwais refinery has until recently only processed light, sour Murban from Abu Dhabi's onshore fields.

"To an extent Jebel Dhanna can import crude, and Adnoc is focussed on optimization and creating value (supported by the new trading teams)," a source with knowledge of the matter said.

Adnoc launched a crude-focused entity, Adnoc Trading (AT), in September, and has been working to change the way it refines crude at Ruwais, which is 12km east of Jebel Dhanna. It is adding new processing facilities at the complex under a $3.5bn crude flexibility project (CFP). Adnoc has said that when this is concluded in the middle of 2022, Ruwais will be capable of processing up to 420,000 b/d of the heavy, sulphur-rich Upper Zakum grade and more than 50 other grades.

"The CFP will extend/broaden this opportunity," the source said.

This will free up substantial amounts of the UAE's flagship light, sour Murban crude for export.

Complementing the CFP, Adnoc in September awarded two engineering, procurement and contracts (EPC) to increase pipeline capacity and upgrade Jebel Dhanna, to allow a new range of crudes to be delivered to Ruwais. This is likely to be completed around the same time as the CFP.

By Adal Mirza