Tampa:
HollyFrontier suffered the Jan. 20 shutdowns of a 91,000 barrel/d crude distillation unit (CDU) and a 30,000 barrel/d vacuum distillation unit (VDU) at the company’s Tulsa West, Okla., refinery, Genscape reported. The units were restarted on Jan. 26. A coking unit shut on Jan. 18 at the facility remained offline on Jan. 26.
Tampa molten contracts were priced at $282/lt CFR for first-quarter delivery, a $99/lt increase from $183/lt CFR in the prior period.
U.S. refinery utilization trickled lower for the week ending Jan. 21, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported. Operable capacity moved to 87.7 percent for the period, a 0.4 point decline from the 88.1 percent rate in the prior report. The rate compared favorably to the year-ago 81.7 percent, but lagged the 88.1 percent five-year average.
Daily crude inputs pressed higher, however, firming to an average 15.497 million barrels/d for the week, a 44,000 barrel/d increase on the prior week’s 15.453 million barrel/d average.
U.S. Gulf:
Genscape reported the Jan. 21 shutdown of the 243,000 barrel/d Pipestill 3B CDU and an associated 113,000 barrel/d VDU at the Marathon Galveston Bay, Texas, refinery. The facility’s 280,000 barrel/d Pipestill 3A CDU was noted offline on Jan. 4-10 due to a fire, while the 145,000 barrel/d FCCU3 fluidic catalytic cracking unit (FCC) was shut on Jan. 8-14.
Marathon on Jan. 20 recorded the shutdown of a 106,000 barrel/d hydrotreater at the company’s Garyville, La., plant. The shutdown was accompanied by elevated flaring, decreased stack activity, and cooling in the unit. Increased activity was observed from the unit on Jan. 24, ahead of a successful restart on the evening of Jan. 25.
Citgo shut a 174,000 barrel/d CDU and an 85,000 barrel/d VDU at the company’s Corpus Christi, Texas, refinery on Jan. 25. An emissions spike noted from a sulfur recovery unit coincided with the unit shutdowns, Genscape reported. The plant’s 69,000 barrel/d No. 2 FCC has been on a turnaround since Jan. 17.
With Brazil values on the rise, price ideas on the Gulf spot export market were seen firming to $290-$300/mt FOB, up from the last reported $270-$280/mt FOB range. Some players expected actual Gulf values to tip closer to $310/mt FOB should new business transact today.
Brazil:
Market players quoted last-done Brazil spot pricing in the $355-$357/mt CFR range, firming from the prior $327-$340/mt CFR level.
Vancouver:
Last-done at Vancouver continued to be heard at $280/mt FOB, flat compared to one week earlier.
Alberta:
Genscape reported a “significant” flaring event at the Shell Scotford Upgrader in Alberta on Jan. 21. Similar past flaring events at the site have been accompanied by operational issues, Genscape said.
Sulfur values at Alberta remained in a wide $167-$210/mt FOB range, players indicated. The range included netbacks from both molten material contracted into the U.S. market and prilled tons exported from Vancouver.
West Coast:
Valero powered down a 67,000 barrel/d hydrotreater at its Wilmington, Calif., refinery on Jan. 21, according to Genscape, marking a shutdown of all monitored units at the refinery. The hydrotreater began decreasing activity on Jan. 19, at which time numerous other units were taken offline.
West Coast prills continued to be indicated at $280/mt FOB, unmoved from the prior report.
Sources reported molten sulfur contracts in the $230-$245/lt FOB range for loading in the first quarter. Agreements were noted at $160-$170/lt FOB in the prior period.
China:
Sources reported last-done spot imports at $335/mt CFR ahead of the Feb. 1 Lunar New Year holiday. Due to the holiday, sources expected a quiet market in the week ahead.
ADNOC:
Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. solid sulfur cargoes were posted at $300/mt FOB for January, players said, a $35/mt increase from December’s $265/mt FOB offer.
Qatar:
Muntajat prills were quoted at $301/mt FOB Ras Laffan for January loading, up $36/mt from the prior month’s $265/mt FOB.
Kuwait:
Sulfur cargoes loading from Kuwait were heard at $300/mt FOB for January. December offers were reported at $267/mt FOB, a $33/mt FOB difference.