Sudan Suspends Khartoum Oil Refinery Operations over Technical Issues

  The Khartoum Refinery (SUNA)
The Khartoum Refinery (SUNA)
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Sudan Suspends Khartoum Oil Refinery Operations over Technical Issues

  The Khartoum Refinery (SUNA)
The Khartoum Refinery (SUNA)

The Khartoum Refinery went out of service due to a malfunction in one of its largest units that generates electricity, the Energy Ministry announced Wednesday.

This comes two weeks after completing the annual periodic maintenance, which took two months, amid fears that the malfunction will cause a fuel crisis.

“All operations at Khartoum Refinery units were halted in emergency over safety risks,” said Director-General of Khartoum Refinery Mahjoub Hassan Abdel Qader.

He affirmed that the facility will resume working as soon as possible, noting that the malfunction is minor and can be fixed.

The ministry has secured the fuel supply so that the consumer sectors in the country are not affected, he added.

Abdel Qader also denied rumors claiming that fire broke out, stressing that the refinery will operate again more efficiently within four days.

The refinery produces 70 percent of domestic fuel, 48 percent of gasoline and 50 percent of gas production for domestic consumption.

The production capacity of the refinery, after completing its maintenance in early March, amounted to 800 tons of gas, 3,000 tons of fuel and 5,000 tons of gasoline.



Maersk Not Returning to the Gulf of Aden for Now

Maersk shipping line Cabo Verde offloads containers within the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) container terminal at the port of Mombasa, Kenya, January 9, 2025. REUTERS/Laban Walloga
Maersk shipping line Cabo Verde offloads containers within the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) container terminal at the port of Mombasa, Kenya, January 9, 2025. REUTERS/Laban Walloga
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Maersk Not Returning to the Gulf of Aden for Now

Maersk shipping line Cabo Verde offloads containers within the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) container terminal at the port of Mombasa, Kenya, January 9, 2025. REUTERS/Laban Walloga
Maersk shipping line Cabo Verde offloads containers within the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) container terminal at the port of Mombasa, Kenya, January 9, 2025. REUTERS/Laban Walloga

Maersk will continue to divert vessels away from the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea and toward the southern tip of Africa despite Yemen's Houthis announcing they will curb their attacks on ships, the container shipping giant said on Friday.
The Danish shipping company said the announcement by the Iran-backed militia was "a very welcome step in the right direction towards stability and eventual normality for the global shipping industry".
However, it said the security risk for commercial vessels transition the Red Sea and Bab-el-Mandeb strait remains high.
"With this in mind – and the safety of our crew, vessels, and your cargo being our utmost priority – Maersk will continue to sail around Africa via the Cape of Good Hope until safe passage through the area is ensured for the longer term," it said.

Houthis have carried out more than 100 attacks on ships since November 2023 and sunk two vessels, seized another and killed at least four seafarers.
They have targeted the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, which are joined by the narrow Bab al-Mandab strait, a chokepoint between the Horn of Africa and the Middle East.