Earthquake closes JX-branded service stations in greater Tokyo

JX Nippon Oil and Energy was forced to shut some of its branded service stations in the greater Tokyo area in the face of the strongest earthquake on record in Japan due to a lack of fuel supply from Japan’s largest refinery. One official at an Eneos service station indicated that it had run out of oil products on March 13 and had to close. JX suspended operations at its Negishi, Sendai and Kashima refineries after the magnitude 9 earthquake hit Japan on March 11. Nearby residents of the Sendai refinery were evacuated after the earthquake for fear of possible gas explosions. The company is continuing gasoline and middle distillate shipments from central Japan to Kyushu, however. The company also reported that the Muroran, Osaka, Marifu, Mizushima and Oita refineries continued to operate following the earthquake. JX has a total capacity of 1.61 million barrels per day across eight refineries in Japan. (March 13, 2011)