Tampa:

Phillips 66 successfully restarted the 272,000 barrel/d crude distillation unit (CDU) at its Bayway, N.J., refinery on Jan. 23, after the unit was shut down on Jan. 20, Genscape reported. The CDU and several other units are scheduled to enter a maintenance turnaround in early February.

The first-quarter contract price of molten sulfur delivered to Tampa was concluded at $130/lt CFR, up $40/lt from $90/lt CFR in the fourth quarter.

US refinery utilization continued to inch higher for the week ending Jan. 20, according to data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the industry’s third consecutive period of increasing capacity since Winter Storm Elliott’s deleterious pass through the US in late December.

Operable capacity firmed to 86.1% for the week, up 0.8 percentage points from 85.3% posted one week earlier, but lagged behind both the year-ago 87.7% and the five-year average of 87.8%.

Daily crude inputs were noted at an average 14.981 million barrels/d, a 128,000 barrel/d increase on 14.853 million barrels/d reported previously.

US Gulf:

Multiple units were shut down at the Marathon Galveston Bay, Texas, refinery on Jan. 22, according to Genscape, including a 280,000 barrel/d CDU and a 128,000 barrel/d vacuum distillation unit (VDU). A number of smaller units were taken offline over the Jan. 17-20 period.

Severe weather triggered a production outage at the Shell Deer Park refinery on Jan. 24, Reuters reported. Numerous unit shutdowns were also observed from the Pemex Deer Park facility, according to Genscape, including a 270,000 barrel/d CDU, 70,000 barrel/d CDU, and 115,000 barrel/d VDU.

Nothing new was reported in the US Gulf sulfur market during the week, leaving last-done in a $130-$135/mt FOB range. Citing softening international sentiment, players predicted lower pricing in the next round of business.

Brazil:

Market players continued to quote last-done Brazil spot pricing at $155/mt CFR, unmoved from the prior week.

Deteriorating international sentiment triggered speculation that prices could see declines in the short-term. One source attributed the softening to a temporary lack of demand created by the ongoing Lunar New Year holiday in China.

Based on minimal activity reported early in the January-March period, Brazil contract pricing for the first quarter was believed to land in a $172-$186/mt CFR range, rising from $119-$138/mt CFR in 4Q.

Vancouver:   

Last-done at Vancouver continued to be heard in a $135-$140/mt FOB range, steady from one week earlier.

Alberta:

Alberta sulfur netbacks were indicated at $15-$70/mt FOB, unmoved from the prior report. The range included both molten tons contracted into the US market and prilled material selling internationally through the Vancouver export market.

West Coast:

West Coast prill indications were steady at $135-$140/mt FOB, unmoved from the prior report.

First-quarter molten sulfur contracts were $125-$135/lt FOB, sources said, rising from $75-$79/lt FOB in the prior period.

China:     

With the China import market reported quiet due to the country’s ongoing Lunar New Year holiday, prices were unchanged at $155-$165/mt CFR.

ADNOC:

Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. solid sulfur cargoes were offered at $160/mt FOB for January, off $20/mt from $180/mt FOB in December.

Qatar:

Muntajat prills were reported at $155/mt FOB Ras Laffan for lifting in January, down $30/mt from $185/mt FOB in the prior period.

Kuwait:

Solid sulfur loading from Kuwait in January was heard at $154/mt FOB, off $29/mt from $183/mt FOB reported one month earlier.

Saudi Arabia:

Saudi Aramco has awarded a contract to longtime EPC partner Technip Energies to upgrade the sulfur recovery system at Aramco’s Riyadh Refinery, Technip announced on Jan. 25.

The company will install three new tail gas treatment units, improving efficiency and performance of the plant’s three existing sulfur recovery units (SRUs), while simultaneously reducing sulfur dioxide emissions. Technip designed and built the facility’s three SRUs in the early 2000s.