In a rare move, Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL) is seeking diesel cargoes as a planned maintenance shutdown at its Mumbai refinery takes longer than expected to complete, trading and refining sources said.
BPCL is seeking two 50 parts per million sulphur diesel cargoes of 40,000 tonne each for delivery into Mumbai over 10-12 May and 16-18 May, according to documents for a tender that closes on 25 April, oil traders said.
The firm shut a 120,000 barrels-per-day (bpd) crude distillation unit, a hydrocracker and some secondary units at its 240,000 bpd Mumbai refinery from early March. The unit was initially expected to be back on line earlier this month, but will now only be on stream next week, a company official told Reuters.
“We have some domestic shortages due to the delay,” he added.
BPCL was not available for any comment on the tender.
(Reuters)
