Apache says possible Unite strike won’t affect other producers’ Forties Pipeline flows
Apache said a planned offshore workers strike on its assets would not prevent other companies using the Forties Pipeline System. The FPS, owned and operated by INEOS, carries oil that underpins physical North Sea pricing.
Oct 6 — A possible strike of offshore workers planned by labour union Unite this month on Apache assets should not prevent other companies from using the Forties Pipeline System, the US energy company said. The FPS is particularly significant as it carries some of the oil that makes up the pricing benchmark for physical North Sea oil trade. "Based on our current contingency plans, we do not anticipate that industrial action would affect other producers’ ability to continue operating through the Forties Pipeline System," Apache said in a statement sent to Reuters. Apache operates the Forties oilfield.
The FPS is owned and operated by INEOS, and includes more than 500 miles (805 km) of pipeline to transport crude oil and gas from more than 80 offshore fields operated by various energy companies. Apache plans to keep experienced staff on the Forties Charlie hub and to operate the plant and support continued flows even if output from all five Apache-operated Forties platforms is suspended, the statement said. Unite said on Sunday that more than 160 offshore Apache workers planned to strike this month. Apache's preference remains to resolve the matter through dialogue, the company statement added.
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