Saudi refiner and petrochemicals producer Petro Rabigh and methanol manufacturer Chemanol have restarted production units whose shutdowns helped trim recent Q1 earnings (MEES, 25 April), while assessing the financial impact of the closures. Both firms also saw profits slide in 2013 (MEES, 24 January).
The Saudi Aramco/Sumitomo joint venture Petro Rabigh shut down its vacuum gasoil hydrotreater (VGO) on 27 March for catalyst replacement and took advantage of the halt to perform maintenance work on integrated units. Petro Rabigh restarted the VGO and linked units on 25 April and expects the shutdown to reduce gross margins for 2Q14 by SR170mn ($45mn). (CONTINUED - 266 WORDS)
