Hopes for an imminent improvement in supply options in the South East have been dashed after the owners of Thames Oilport said its opening was still months away and they could not commit to a revised opening date.

When a joint venture of Royal Vopak, Greenergy and Shell UK bought the former Coryton Refinery site it said it hoped to open by the end of 2013, but it has now said it requires far more work than was first thought.