The National Petroleum Refiners of South Africa (Natref) refinery suffered a fire on 4 January, damaging its crude distillation unit and raising concerns about the supply of aviation fuel to OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg. Faced with the risk of shortages, the South African authorities are implementing urgent measures to guarantee a continuous supply, and Mozambique has emerged as one of the strategic alternatives.
According to the Engineering News portal, Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) has assured that it has received assurances from the Fuels Industry Association of South Africa (FIASA) that mitigation actions are being taken to avoid disruption to fuel supplies.
The airport currently has sufficient reserves to meet demand until 20 January, but between then and 27 January it will be necessary to resort to alternative solutions to guarantee supply.
One of the main measures announced involves the transport of 31 000 m³ of fuel by pipeline from Durban, scheduled to arrive at the airport on 27 January.
However, to reinforce supply, priority is being given to transporting fuel by rail, including shipments from the Matola terminal in Mozambique. In addition, other strategies are being evaluated, such as supply from alternative airports and direct injection of fuel at the Natref refinery.
ACSA assured that all necessary actions are being taken to avoid operational impacts at the airport and pledged to provide regular updates on the situation. South Africa relies heavily on imports to meet its demand for fuel, and Mozambique is one of the most important strategic points for oil logistics in the region.