Petrochemical producers and refiners have started altering maintenance schedules and turnarounds as quarantines from the coronavirus which has led to issues in availability of workers and staff.Saudi petrochemicals manufacturer SABIC has postponed the planned turnaround that was due to take place at its Wilton, UK cracker in April.It has decided to postpone its upcoming Olefins 6 turnaround and associated site-wide repair work to a later date. In the meantime, the Teesside operations, including Olefins 6, will continue to operate as normal with safety as our first priority."No reasons were specified for the postponement of the turnaround, which was two years in the planning, and no rescheduled date has been given.Market sources believe that SABIC may have taken the decision on the back of the growing spread of the coronavirus, given the significant number of additional personnel that is usually on site to manage turnarounds.
