The Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company Limited (BOST) has organized a field tour for some journalists in the Northern Region to its operational areas in the region to have a fair knowledge of its operations.

The Northern Region depot, which is located at Buipe in the Central Gonja District, supplies petroleum products to the Northern, Upper East, Upper West and some parts of the Brong Ahafo regions. It currently under went some upgrading for efficient functioning.

The maintenance works, which started in November 2013, was expected to be completed in September 2014 to enable petroleum products be supplied directly from its mother station in Tema. Mr Fred Ayamga, BOST Manager for the Buipe Depot who briefed the media at Buipe on Friday said the depot has a capacity of 50 million liters with seven tanks and stressed that out of the total capacity, 37 million liters was diesel while 13 million was petrol.

He said the depot receives its consignment from its mother company in Tema in the Greater Accra Region either through the Volta Lake or by road where a barge and tankers were used respectively and then supplied to the market. He explained that when the products were received, its temperature, density, water and pressure were checked to ensure that it met the standard before discharging and same was done before supplying the product to the market.

Mr Ayamga indicated that demand for petroleum products have increased drastically to 30 million liters per month and 800,000 liters per day explaining that since the depot was not operating, the Oil Marketing Companies take their deliveries from Tema instead of the Buipe depot.

Mr Ayamga said enough safety guidelines have been put in place to prevent any disaster including fire outbreaks at the installation. Mr Salifu Nat Acheampong, Corporate Communications Manager of BOST said the company was not to blame for the recent fuel shortages that hit the country. He promised that the company would open its doors more to the media in order to establish good rapport for a mutual benefit. Mr Benjamin Kwabena Wilson, Manager of Volta Lake Transport Company said there were usually two barges that were used to lift petroleum products from Tema to Buipe and spends eight days carrying a total of 830,000 liters each and pumped to the depot for onward supply.

At the Savelugu Booster Station, Mr John Azugu, Station Representative told the media that the pipeline was 261 kilometers from Buipe to Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region and that the booster station was set up to augment speedy and quantity supply to Bolga.

He said transferring petroleum products through the pipeline was cheaper and cost effective, because the pipes were buried underground, leakages and tempering with the supply was minimal.