MRPL Denies Shutting Refinery Units, Says Operations ‘Normal’ Amid Supply Disruption Reports

The company said it has lined up adequate quantities of crude oil to sustain operations.

The clarification follows reports claiming the company had suspended fuel exports due to disruptions in crude shipments from the Persian Gulf amid the widening conflict in West Asia.

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Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL) on Thursday denied reports suggesting it had shut down parts of its refinery or suspended operations, stating that its facilities are functioning normally.

The company said it has lined up adequate quantities of crude oil to sustain operations.

Responding to media reports, MRPL said, “MRPL has not declared any ‘FORCE MAJEURE’ and is unaware about the mentioned news item and its source.”

Reports Claimed Suspension Of Fuel Exports

The clarification follows reports claiming the company had suspended fuel exports due to disruptions in crude shipments from the Persian Gulf amid the widening conflict in West Asia.

A Bloomberg report on Wednesday stated that Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd. had informed customers it would suspend oil product exports as the conflict in the Middle East disrupted crude shipments from the Persian Gulf.

Reuters Report Cited Shutdown Of Units

Meanwhile, a Reuters report, citing three sources with knowledge of the matter, said the refiner had shut a crude unit and some secondary units at its 300,000-barrel-per-day refinery due to an oil shortage.

According to the report, the state-run refiner shut the 100,000-barrel-per-day crude unit along with some secondary units, including a hydrocracker, from Wednesday evening at its complex in Karnataka.

MRPL did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment at the time.

Refiners Face Supply Challenges

Asian refiners are facing difficulties securing prompt replacement crude cargoes as Iranian threats to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz have disrupted oil flows.

The waterway is a conduit for about a fifth of the crude consumed globally, and some Chinese refiners have already begun cutting their runs.

MRPL, which stopped buying Russian oil late last year, is largely dependent on crude supplies from the Middle East.

Reports also said the company had suspended refined fuel exports due to the Middle East conflict.