The Netherlands: Working While Waiting

THE NETHERLANDS

Although Middle East oil production is near its prewar level, the refineries of Western Europe will continue to feel the pinch for some time to come. Reason: until the Suez Canal is un plugged, oil tankers must take a two-week detour around the Cape of Good Hope. At Rotterdam's Europoort, whose massive refineries get 70% of their oil from the Middle East, companies have dipped into reserves while eagerly awaiting the homeward-bound tankers. "They're out there floating around somewhere," says Theo P. van den Bergh, general manager of Shell Netherlands Refining Co., "and we're waiting, waiting, waiting."

Patience has never...

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