Marathon Garyville shutting units amid fire: Update

Adds detail on unit closures.

Marathon Petroleum's 596,000 b/d Garyville, Louisiana, refinery was in the process of shutting down units following a massive naphtha tank fire this morning.

The fire in two naphtha storage tanks was under control but continued to burn as of 3pm ET, according to a Marathon spokesperson. Both tanks sustained damage and the units closest to the fire were being shut down.

Officials from St John the Baptist Parish, where the refinery is located, issued an evacuation order for residents within a two-mile radius of the plant this morning.

The tank fire did not appear to be limiting barge traffic on the Mississippi River or other local operations earlier this morning, according to a spokesman for the nearby Port of South Louisiana, a grain handling terminal.

US Gulf coast gasoline, distillate and blendstock market activity was slow this morning following the incident.

Today's fire marks the second naphtha tank fire at a Louisiana refinery this summer. A 3 June lighting strike started a naphtha tank fire at Calcasieu Refining's 136,000 b/d Lake Charles, Louisiana, plant. Calcasieu said earlier this week it planned to restart operations by September.

By Gordon Pollock and Nathan Risser