LG Chem's South Korean naphtha cracker to restart shortly

South Korea's LG Chem Ltd plans to restart its naphtha cracker in Daesan on the country's west coast "soon", following an unexpected shutdown the day before due to "process troubles", as per Reuters. A company spokesman did not give further details on the expected restart date for the 1.04 mln tpa cracker, although traders not related to the firm said it would probably come back online this week. They added that the shutdown would likely crimp demand for naphtha by the equivalent of a medium-range vessel in a market already marked by heavy prompt supplies. "LG's cracker shutdown is one more bearish factor for the market, but its overall naphtha inventories may not be that high as recent rough weather has made it difficult for vessels to discharge cargoes at Daesan," said one of the traders. LG Chem did not immediately respond to a request for comment on this point