Japan's naphtha-fed steam crackers ran at an average rate of 92.8% in June down from 94.5% from a month earlier and from 95.1% in June last year, the Japan Petrochemical Industry Association, or JPCA, said in its website Friday.
There are 15 naphtha-fed steam crackers in Japan with a combined ethylene production capacity of 7.72 million mt/year. Market sources said steam cracker turnarounds and unplanned shutdowns slashed the operating rates.
In June, two steam crackers were shut for annual maintenance. Mitsubishi Chemical shut its 495,000 mt/year steam cracker in Mizushima, western Japan, from mid-May to June 25; and Mitsubishi Chemical also shut its No. 1 naphtha-fed steam cracker in Kashima, eastern Japan, from mid-May to June 30.
Separately, three steam crackers were shut in June due to mechanical problems.
Tonen Chemical shut its sole 515,000 mt/year naphtha-fed steam cracker in Kawasaki on June 25, after earlier shutting the plant briefly on June 9.
In Kawasaki, JX Nippon Oil & Energy shut its 404,000 mt/year steam cracker from June 27 to July 1; and in Chiba, Maruzen Petrochemical shut its 550,000 mt/year steam cracker over June 20-25.
