ExxonMobil Japan Group has reopened its Shiogama Terminal, enabling delivery of increased fuel supplies into the Tohoku area of North East Japan, which was affected by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
The terminal received its first marine shipment of one million litres of gasoline and one million litres of kerosene, to be used for heating fuel, from the TonenGeneral Kawasaki refinery on March 22.
“The safe reopening of the Shiogama Terminal restores the most critical link to the Tohoku area,” said Philippe Ducom, president of TonenGeneral Sekiyu K.K., the ExxonMobil affiliate refiner. “The government has asked fuel suppliers to support its relief efforts in the earthquake impacted areas. We are answering that call.”
ExxonMobil has made its terminal available for use by other companies with ready fuel supplies. “We are working as an industry to deliver any fuel as quickly as possible to the affected areas in need of fuel for relief efforts,” said Ducom who visited Shiogama Terminal for a first-hand assessment this week.
ExxonMobil has restored all four of its Japan Group refineries to full operations. The units are running over and above their normal rates to meet the high demand for fuel.
“ExxonMobil continues to maximise production of products that are urgently needed in the most impacted areas,” Ducom said. “Our 2,900 employees are working around the clock and in cooperation with the government to do everything we can to help with the response and recovery efforts.”
ExxonMobil is supporting the disaster response by maximising the electrical generation of its TonenGeneral Kawasaki refinery cogeneration unit to provide the electricity grid, which is under supplied following the tragedy. About 33 megawatts of power is currently being transmitted to the grid, which is enough electricity for about 10,000 Japanese households.
The TonenGeneral refinery in Wakayama has begun filling and shipping 1,000 drums of diesel and kerosene to be used by emergency vehicles, shelters and hospitals in stricken areas.
Fuel is normally supplied in tank trucks or rail cars, but the Wakayama refinery is supplying fuel in drums to facilitate transport into the earthquake and tsunami impacted areas.
ExxonMobil has donated US$1 million to the Japanese Red Cross Society to provide disaster relief assistance. In addition, the company has implemented a worldwide match of employee, retiree, dealer and distributor contributions, up to an additional $2 million.
