West Japan bunker supply to rise in December
Bunker supply volume in Japan is set to jump to about 340,000 metric tonnes (mt) in December, compared with 320,000 mt in November as West Japan refiners restart crude distillation units (CDUs), Platts reports.
Idemitsu Kosan restarted a 120,000 barrels per day (bpd) refinery in Tokuyama, West Japan, on November 23, after a two-month turnaround, and will be offering about 80,000 mt in the bonded bunker market in December, compared with 60,000 mt in November.
Cosmo Oil also restarted a 90,000 bpd CDU at its Yokkaichi refinery on November 14, after shutting it down on October 1, and it may increase its supply above its 40,000 mt November level.
JX Nippon Oil & Energy (JX), the nation's largest refinery, restarted a 110,000 bpd CDU at its Mizushima-B plant in Western Japan, which it shut down on July 25 after discovering a safety violation.
Reuters reported at the time that some inspection records at the plant had been falsified and some required repairs had not been done.
JX's sales volume is expected to stay steady in December at 140,000 to 150,000 mt, since it did not cut its total volume during the shutdown.
