September 30, 2025 [Reuters]- Singapore’s Aster Chemicals and Energy is investing $125 million to upgrade its single buoy mooring and pipeline infrastructure near the Bukom refinery, aiming to restore direct crude deliveries and extend the facility’s operational lifespan.

The company said on Tuesday that the upgraded pipeline is projected to provide more than 20 years of reliable service.

Other facilities are expected to continue operating normally during the upgrade, which targets completion in 2026, a spokesperson said in reply to a Reuters query.

These engineering contracts were awarded to Allseas and DOF, the company said in a press statement.

Aster Chemicals took over operations of the refinery from Shell in the middle of this year.

Since early 2023, the refinery has been unable to receive crude directly from Very Large Crude Carriers, known as VLCCs. Instead, the VLCCs conducted ship-to-ship transfers with smaller tankers which then discharged the oil at the refinery, Kpler shiptracking data showed.

Shell conducted extended repairs at this shipping facility in mid-2023, Reuters reported.