Sinopec Maoming suspends petchem production after cracker fire

China's Sinopec Maoming Company has suspended production at all petrochemical units connected to two naphtha-fed steam crackers, which were set ablaze by lightning, a company source confirmed Wednesday afternoon. According to a company statement, its No. 2 cracker's No. 2 furnace caught fire at 6:55 pm (1055 GMT) following a lightning strike. It was put out by 7:50 pm by more than 10 fire engines, which had arrived at the scene three minutes after the incident was reported, the statement added. The company has decided to suspend all petrochemical production, pending safety inspections at its crackers and all downstream units. Its refining complex has a nameplate capacity of 270,000 b/d, while the company's two steam crackers can produce 380,000 mt/year and 620,000 mt/year of ethylene, respectively. "Our No. 2 cracker was the... [read full story]