August 1, 2012:

India's Hindustan Petroleum Corp 166,000 barrels per day (bpd) Vizag refinery in south India is undergoing partial maintenance which would likely last until September, industry sources said on Wednesday. They said that the state-owned refiner shut a 60,000 bpd crude distillation unit (CDU) and a fluid catalytic cracker at the refinery on July 28. The maintenance was initially scheduled for May-June but was later delayed to July-August period, traders said. The reason behind the delay is unclear. Traders said the shutdown of the units were likely the reasons prompting HPCL to import gasoline to plug the supply gap. It has bought up to 27,000 tonnes of gasoline from Gunvor for first-half August arrival at Vizag at premiums slightly below $10 a barrel to Singapore quotes on a cost-and-freight (C&F) basis. HPCL also operates a 130,000 bpd Mumbai refinery in western India.

By Reuters