A spokesperson for Astron Energy has told Reuters that it is still ‘too early’ to say when the 100,00 barrels a day (b/d) Cape Town refinery will come back into full operation, following the explosion at the plant on 2 July.
The explosion necessitated a shut-down of the plant, just as it had been coming back online after an extended maintenance programme. The Reuters report said that the investigation into the incident is continuing.
Sources in the South African bunker market told Bunkerspot earlier this week that they were ‘not expecting the refinery to resume for a few months’ and it is likely that Astron will be ‘relying on imports until then’. The refinery is usually an important source of product for the Cape Town bunker market.
Overall, however, the sources told Bunkerspot that: ‘South Africa seems to be fairly balanced currently after a number of imports came into Durban.’
