Maoming Ethylene Cracker Got Fire      

On June 3rd the Number 2 ethylene cracker of Sinopec Maoming Petrochemical Company in Guangdong province of southern China got fire when beaten by a strong thunder. According to Sinopec Group, the thunder caused power cut in the Number 2 ethylene cracker and other related facilities, twenty minutes later the fire happened at the exit line of the cracker, causing blazes as high as 50 meter at the site. The fire was brought under control in three hours. No casualties have been reported.
   Maoming Petrochemical immediately executed the emergency solution to treat with the possible pollution. Thereafter the environmental protection department of Maoming checked the water and air surrounded and reported no damage and pollution by the accident.  
   Maoming Petrochemical operates two ethylene crackers with a total capacity of one million t/a, which accounts for one tenth of the national total. The cracker suffered fire has a capacity of 640 000 t/a, came on stream in 2006. According to a senior manager of Maoming Petrochemical, the restart will need at least one month. The company has also shut down its relating downstream polyethylene (PE) units, including a 370 000 t/a low density polyethylene (LDPE) unit, 200 000 t/a linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) /high density polyethylene (HDPE) unit and 350 000 t/a HDPE unit. This could cause PE prices to rise.
    However, as Maoming Petrochemical uses the olefins for captive consumption by downstream polyolefin plants, ethylene and propylene prices are not expected to be directly impacted. On June 4th, the LLDPE future prices in Dalian increased by 0.3% only.