Tema, Oct 4, GNA --A state of the art Seawater Pumping Station Project, built by Technofab Engineering Limited (TEL), an Indian Company, was on Saturday handed over to the Tema Oil Refinery at a ceremony in Tema.

It took TEL 27 months to complete the 12.6-million-dollar project which was contracted to it in April 2007. It consists of the pumping station and a new fiberglass pipeline to replace the existing concrete bonna pipe which was installed over 45 years ago.

The pipeline which is approximately 5.5 kilometres in length streches from the Tema fishing harbour to the refinery, is made of fiberglass, a material resistant to seawater corrosion. Recounting the history of the project, Dr Kwame Ampofo, Acting Managing Director of TOR, said in March 2005, fire destroyed the then existing seawater pumping station which served the refinery. Dr. Ampofo said after the loss of the pump station, the refinery resorted to the use of municipal water for its operations, which he said was very expensive.

He said as a result, Management thought it wise to re-install the seawater pumping station, in order not only to have sufficient water available for firefighting, but to also hydrotest newly constructed storage tanks, and flash wash pipelines. The ultimate objective, he said, was to improve the refinery's risk profile, thereby reducing the insurance premium on its assets. Mr O. N. Vij, Senior Vice President of TEL, who handed over the project to TOR, hoped it would serve its intended purpose.