Bukom refinery exports rare naphtha cargo: sources

Published Tue, Sep 2, 2025 · 04:30 PM

Singapore’s Bukom refinery has exported its first naphtha cargo in years following a longer-than-expected outage at its cracker, according to three sources with knowledge of the matter and shipping data, with more cargoes to be shipped in coming weeks.

The export follows a force majeure last Thursday (Aug 28) by plant operator Aster Chemicals and Energy on products derived from its naphtha cracker.

Up to 35,000 tonnes (311,500 barrels) of naphtha was loaded onto the tanker Oriental Aquamarine on Monday, bound for South Korea, according to LSEG ship-tracking data. This marks its first full-sized cargo in the past five years.

Separately, the refinery last exported a naphtha cargo in November 2021, Kpler data showed.

Two more open-spec naphtha cargoes up to 60,000 tonnes each for loading between second-half September and early October from the refinery have been sold, two of the sources added, without providing details of the deals.

The company does not comment on commercial arrangements as a matter of corporate policy, an Aster spokesperson said in an emailed response.

These exports resulted from a prolonged maintenance period at the refiner’s naphtha cracker, the sources said. The cracker was initially scheduled to resume operations in the first half of September, but that timeline has now been delayed indefinitely.

Aster Chemicals and Energy operates a 237,000-barrel-per-day refinery and 1.1-million-ton-per-year naphtha cracker on Bukom Island. REUTERS

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