China’s CNOOC shuts aromatics unit for maintenance

SINGAPORE (ICIS)–China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) on 14 March shut its aromatics plant at Huizhou, Guangdong province, for maintenance, a company source.

The maintenance is expected to last 40-50 days, the source said.

The company will still be able to take in several new orders in March as it has sufficient inventories, market sources said.

The shutdown is expected to have limited impact on the supply of crude xylene in south China due to ample availability in the region.

As of 14 March, CNOOC Huizhou offered crude xylene at yuan (CNY) 5,800/tonne ex-tank, data compiled by the ICIS editorial team in China showed.

The plant, which can produce 125,000 tonnes/year of crude xylene, was brought off line five times last year due to feedstock shortage.