Czech Litvinov refinery bitumen loadings resume

Bitumen truck loadings have resumed at the 108,000 b/d Litvinov refinery in the Czech Republic after the discovery of an unexploded World War 2 bomb caused an unplanned shutdown last month, market sources said.

The refinery was forced to shut on 21 August to enable the bomb to be removed. It restarted over the 31 August-1 September weekend, but bitumen truck supply only resumed this week, market participants said.

The refinery's operator, Orlen Unipetrol, has been offering spot truck volumes at around €450/t ex-works, with discounts of around €20/t for sales to key buyers in domestic and inland export markets.

Argus assessed Czech truck bitumen prices at €495-505/t ex-works for the week ending 6 September, with those values largely notional in the absence of bitumen supplies from Litvinov.

By Fenella Rhodes