Saudi PetroRabigh Starts Maintenance Work On VDU Unit

Saudi Arabia’s PetroRabigh said on Sunday that it had started unscheduled maintenance work on its vacuum distillation unit (VDU) that was expected to last until May 10.

The firm, a joint venture between Saudi Aramco and Japan’s Sumitomo Chemical, said the effect of the work on its financials was unclear and would be announced at a later date.

“We cannot at the moment pinpoint the financial effect accurately due to the changing prices of products and the need to make sure of maintenance needs,” a statement by the company said.

Vacuum distillation, part of the refining process, helps to produce petroleum products from heavy oils left over from atmospheric distillation.

In February, PetroRabigh said it planned to shut down its entire petrochemical and refining complex for periodic maintenance which would last for 50 days from October 4 this year.

It would be the second periodic maintenance since 2011; such work takes place every four years, the company said.

As a result of the shutdown and subject to changes due to market conditions and prices, PetroRabigh said gross profit would drop in the fourth quarter of this year by around SAR880 million ($235 million).

PetroRabigh can produce an annual 18 million tonnes of refined products and 2.4 million tonnes of petrochemical products. Its refinery has the capacity to process 400,000 barrels per day of crude oil.