The Italian supplier of the ‘Under Buoy Hose’ -- damaged when pumping crude oil from the tanker to the storage terminal -- has refused to replace it despite being covered by the three-year warranty, Petroleum Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa told Parliament yesterday. Imported crude and refined oil is discharged from ships to the storage terminals using buoys. The buoy used for discharging crude oil is placed at sea some nine kilometres from the Colombo Port while the buoy used to discharge refined oil is located eight kilometres off the port.

The minister said the undersea hose connected to the main buoy used in discharging crude oil directly from tankers to the storage terminal was damaged on May 25 and that at the time there was a stock of 57,711 tonnes of crude oil remaining in the tanker. He said this particular hose had been specially designed and supplied by Manuli Rubber Industries of Italy, selected after a tender process.

“It was fixed on February 5. It burst after three months and 20 days. The reason is not yet known. It may be due to a production defect or rough seas. The supplier has declined to replace it despite the damaged buoy being covered by a three-year warranty period,” the minister said.

Source: Daily Mirror - Sri Lanka