The Tribune

After three years and 1.3 million man-hours with zero loss time incidents, BORCO (Buckeye Bahamas) celebrated the work of both Bahamian and international contractors in completing its recent expansion project.

The 4.7 million barrel expansion was originally supposed to be built by an international engineering, procurement and construction consortium, but Buckeye, after acquiring BORCO in 2011, made the decision to build with Bahamian teams and American engineering instead.

“This was a very successful project and we made a great decision undertaking it,” said Joe Sauger, Buckeye’s senior vice-president for engineering and construction services.

Mr Sauger added that not only did the project finish ahead of schedule, but it was under budget with no major incidents.

“It is with profound thanks that I am here tonight to celebrate the great work done by the companies and team members that made this project happen,” he said.

During a dinner held at the Grand Lucayan Resort, 25 companies were commended for their invaluable contributions to the three-year project.

Nathan Werner, director of optimisation for BORCO’s operations, spoke to the attendees and applauded each team member, safety officer and company for their part in making the venture happen.

“I actually helped build the original BORCO and learnt my craft during this time,” said Vincent Dean of RD Mechanical Engineering, when asked about his participation on the project.

Now he owns his own company, and he and his staff were contracted over the three years the expansion project was underway to work on the fabrication and installation of piping, stripping pumps and access platforms, as well as mechanical work on the offshore jetties.

“I am honoured to be a part of this project and pleased that my 14 staff and I were part of the Bahamian team to make this happen,” Mr Dean added.

Closing out the evening was Khalid A. Muslih, Buckeye’s president for global marine terminals, who said: “We want to thank everyone here tonight for their collaboration on this project. This project is absolutely monumental and we are indebted to you.”

Mr Muslih said that as part of the $200 million project, some 16 tanks were built, 25 miles of pipe laid,2 ,500 cubic yards of concrete placed and 700 tons of steel erected.

“Tonight we celebrate the power of collaboration,” said Mr Muslih. “To embark on this journey took courage, commitment and confidence. This is no small task, this is a word-class operation and it was built using a majority of Bahamian contractors who were paid over $150 million for their work.

“Buckeye was a company with successful domestic terminal and pipeline operations. With our decision to acquire BORCO, we diversified and entered the international arena. We now are poised for additional growth in global marine terminal operations.”

In closing, Mr Muslih said the BORCO facility is now Buckeye’s largest terminal. “With our flagship here and our hub in New York, we are highly confident about our growth. Stay tuned for more because I now know that if we dream it - you can build it.”