JX Nippon shuts down lube unit at Mizushima refinery after fire

Japan’s JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corp., a unit of JX Holdings, said it shut the No. 2 vacuum distillation unit at its 140,000 barrel per day (bpd) Mizushima-A refinery in western Japan on August 5 after the unit caught fire.
The No. 2 vacuum distillation unit, which makes lubricant feedstock, has a capacity of 17,000 bpd, according to the company’s web site. The cause of the fire or the extent of damage to the unit was not known, as investigation is still ongoing.
The refinery’s product shipments were halted temporarily after the fire, but had returned to normal, the company said.
There was no impact to the operations of the refinery’s sole 140,000 bpd crude distillation unit (CDU) and other secondary units that make other petroleum products.
There were no injuries as a result of the fire.
A second refinery in Mizushima, the Mizushima-B refinery, has been shut completely since July 26 for safety checks.