Idemitsu Kosan, Japan's major petrochemical producer has scheduled to shut its Tokuyama-based No. 2 aromatics unit in mid-September for 50-60 days for maintenance. The unit is designed to produce 210 kilo ton a year of paraxylene, 274 kilo ton a year of benzene and 317 kilo ton a year of isomer-grade mixed xylene.

Meanwhile, it will restart its Chiba-based No. 1 aromatics unit in mid-September. This unit can produce 270 kilo ton a year of paraxylene, 577 kilo ton a year of benzene and 353 kilo ton of isomer-grade mixed xylene.

Idemitsu Kosan Co.,Ltd owns and operates oil platforms, refineries and produces and sells petroleum, oils and petrochemical products. Idemitsu is the second largest petroleum refiner in Japan, after Nippon Oil.

Fujian Jialong of China has restarted 600 kilo ton a year PTA unit which was shut down for maintenance from 31 July. The real time average run rate of PTA units in China is at about 62.7 per cent today.

BP had to shut down one set of 728 kilo ton a year PTA plant located in Cooper River, South Carolina after a fire broke on 9 August in a compressor building. Although the fire was put out quickly, the incident has lead to a maintenance lasting one and a half year because of the damage to the air compressor. BP has two PTA units at this site. The other one has a capacity of 750 kilo ton a year. The shut down may result in some deep-sea paraxylene cargo probably entering into Asian market through arbitrage trade.