HollyFrontier begins restart of FCC
NEW YORK: HollyFrontier has begun restarting the 39,000 barrel-per-day gasoline-making unit at its El Dorado, Kansas, refinery after an unexpected shutdown, according to a source familiar with the plant’s operations. The gasoline-making unit is expected to resume full operations, the source said.
Energy industry intelligence service Genscape reported increased activity in the unit at the 138,000 bpd refinery. The company did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Louisiana to export crude
HOUSTON: The Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP), the largest privately owned crude terminal in the United States, is pursuing contracts to export crude from its US Gulf Coast facility, the company said.
Until now, LOOP has taken imported oil at the facility and the new services would be its first for exports. The services could be available by early 2018, LOOP said.
The facility would have capacity to load Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs), the largest oil tankers, which can ship some 2 million barrels of oil. The new service would provide connectivity from LOOP’s Clovelly Hub in Louisiana to its deepwater port 17 miles (27 km) offshore in Port Fourchon, Louisiana.
Marathon begins unit overhaul
HOUSTON: Marathon Petroleum Corp began a planned overhaul of the gasoline-producing unit at its 86,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) Texas City, Texas, refinery, said sources familiar with plant operations.
Marathon spokesman Jamal Kheiry declined comment. In addition to the 55,000 bpd gasoline-producing fluidic catalytic cracking unit, Marathon is shutting the 10,000 bpd alkylation unit and 2,390 bpd propylene splitter for planned repairs, the sources said.
Monroe to restore rates
NEW YORK: Monroe Energy plans to restore normal rates in the 50,000 barrel-per-day gasoline-making unit at its Trainer, Pennsylvania, refinery after resolving a pump issue, according to two sources familiar with the plant’s operations.
The company cut rates in the unit due to a pump problem.
Motiva’s unit operations normal
HOUSTON: Operations were normal at Motiva Enterprises’ 603,000 barrel-per-day Port Arthur, Texas, refinery following maintenance on the alkylation unit, sources familiar with plant operations said.
Motiva declined to comment.
The planned work on the 18,000 bpd alky unit triggered flaring at the refinery, the sources said. Energy industry intelligence service Genscape described the flaring as "low elevated," lasting for 30 minutes.
PBF warns of planned flaring
HOUSTON: PBF Energy warned of planned flaring at its 150,900-barrel-per-day (bpd) refinery in Torrance, California, according to a filing with state pollution regulators.
The filing with the South Coast Air Quality Management District listed event start date as July 21, 3:00 p.m.(local time) and event end date as July 21, 6:00 p.m.(local time).
A refinery uses its safety flare when hydrocarbons cannot be processed normally due to a malfunction or planned work.
Pemex bond deal covers needs
MEXICO CITY: Mexico’s national oil company Pemex said that recent bond placements totalling about $5 billion would cover its minimum financing needs through the end of 2018.
Petroleos Mexicanos, as the company is formally known, said it had successfully reopened two long-term bonds to raise about $5 billion, and would use some of the proceeds to repurchase debt expiring over the next two years. Petroleos Mexicanos said in a statement the operations would consolidate its financial liquidity and diversify its sources of financing.
The bonds reopened mature in 10 and 30 years, when they will pay a return of 5.75 per cent and 6.90 per cent, respectively.
PKN Q2 net profit falls 4pc
WARSAW: Poland’s biggest oil refiner, PKN Orlen, said that its second-quarter net profit fell 4 per cent year on year to 1.54 billion zlotys ($424.65 million), missing analysts’ expectations as costs rose more than sales.
Analysts had expected PKN to report a rise in net profit to 1.87 billion zlotys in the second quarter, due to higher sales and margins as well an insurance payment related to a 2015 refinery accident.
PKN said its sales in April-June rose 19 per cent to 23 billion zlotys on new regulations passed in August last year to curb the black market of fuel sales. The refiner also received 500 million zlotys in another tranche of insurance payments.
Shell shuts Trans Niger pipeline
NEW YORK: Shell’s Nigerian subsidiary has shut its 180,000 barrel-per-day Trans Niger pipeline in Nigeria due to a leak, the company said in a statement, effectively shutting in exports of Bonny Light crude oil.
The Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) said it shut the pipeline on July 21 after a leak at B-Dere, Ogoniland. The company said it did not yet know the cause of the leak.
Shell declared force majeure on Bonny Light exports earlier this month after the closure of the Nembe Creek Trunk Line by operator Aiteo, the only other export avenue, but until last week loadings continued via the Trans Niger Pipeline.
August exports of Bonny Light had originally been planned at more than 200,000 bpd.
