Shell shuts down refinery

Shell shuts down refinery

SINGAPORE (Reuter): Shell Singapore plans to shutdown a 35,000 barrels-per-day (bpd) cracker for a scheduled month-long maintenance beginning November 1, a source close to the company said.

The long residue catalytic cracker converts low sulfur residues into gasoline and middle distillates.

The shutdown of the cracker and the Balongan refinery in Indonesia is expected to keep tight the gasoline supplies in the region, traders said.

Indonesia's 125,000-bpd crude unit will be closed for 24-days beginning Oct. 1 and an associated 80,000-bpd residue catalytic cracker will be down for 60-days also from Oct. 1, Pertamina officials told Reuters earlier.