Equipment glitch results in unexpected shutdown of Asahi Kasei's naphtha cracker

01-Aug-16

Japan's Asahi Kasei Mitsubishi Chemical Ethylene Corp has shut its 567,000 tpa naphtha cracker unexpectedly, following problems of the heat exchanger equipment, as per a spokesperson from the company reported by Reuters. The problem is being investigated but there is no clear timeline for the retart of the cracker. This shutdown is likely to have a magnified impact on a heavily supplied market, where sellers are already grappling with a persistent glut that has lasted for months and repeatedly driving down spot prices in the last few weeks.