Tampa: Inclement weather reported in the northern U.S. in recent weeks failed to appreciably impact refinery operations, sources said, and domestic supply remained ample.
The fourth-quarter price of molten sulfur at Tampa was $129/lt CFR.
U.S. refinery utilization realized its fifth straight week of increases, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Refinery capacity rose to 93.4 percent for the week ending Nov. 28, a jump of 1.9 percent from the previous week’s 91.5 percent, and also higher than last year’s 92.4 percent and the five-year average of 88.7 percent.
Average daily inputs swelled to 16.356 million barrels/d, an increase of 399,000 barrels/d from the week before.
U.S. Gulf: Sulfur sold from the Gulf of Mexico was unchanged at $130-$135/mt FOB.
Mexican sulfur producer Pemex estimates it will produce 4 percent less sulfur in 2015 due to a series of planned maintenance periods. The stoppages are expected to result in the company’s smallest yearly production total since 2011.
Vancouver: Elevated prices at China held last week, sources said, supporting Vancouver spot at levels above $140/mt FOB. Fourth-quarter contracts were called $135-$150/mt FOB.
Albert sulfur was quoted at (-)$10-$75/mt.
West Coast: The West Coast prill market was unchanged at $135-$140/mt FOB.
The fourth-quarter molten price was $90-$130/lt FOB.
Caribbean: Atlantic Basin Refining (ABR) announced plans to resuscitate the Hovensa LLC refinery in St. Croix, offline since January 2012. ABR agreed to terms with previous owners Hess Corp and Venezuelan state-run oil company PDVSA in November.
The 300,000 barrel/d refinery was once the largest in the western hemisphere, but a scarcity of heavy Venezuelan crude inputs forced the plant to close. ABR plans to upgrade the refinery to process light, sweet crude produced from shale drilling.
Benelux: The sulfur price at Benelux was $158-$172/mt FOB for the third quarter.
ADNOC: The November ADNOC price was $135/mt FOB.
Aramco: The price of Aramco sulfur is $125/mt FOB for December.
A dispute with a Korean engineering contractor has delayed construction on Saudi Aramco’s planned 400,000 barrel/d Jizan refinery, sources said. The $7 billion facility, originally anticipated to begin production in 2016, has suffered from numerous delays and design changes since Aramco awarded contracts in 2012.