S Korea's S-Oil restarting MTBE unit in Jul after turnaround

20 June 2005 03:48  [Source: ICIS news]

Singapore (CNI) - South Korea's S-Oil Corporation plans restart its 100,000 tonne/year methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) plant at Onsan, Kyungsangnam in early-July following a 36-day turnaround, a company official told CNI.

South Korea's demand for July and August shipments of the gasoline additive has strengthened due to a recent spate of turnarounds at local plants.

S.K Corp's 210,000-tonne/year MTBE plant at Ulsan is slated for a one-month maintenance shutdown that will start later this week.

While Southeast Asian suppliers have limited spot availabilities due to term commitments, China's export interest is strong given the softening prices in the Chinese domestic market. For exports, early-June fixtures were reported at $530-550/tonne FOB China. Offers for August shipments were heard at $540/tonne FOB China.

By: Helen Lee
+65 6780 4359

For the latest chemical news, data and analysis that directly impacts your business sign up for a free trial to ICIS news - the breaking online news service for the global chemical industry.

Get the facts and analysis behind the headlines from our market leading weekly magazine: sign up to a free trial to ICIS Chemical Business.

Printer Friendly