Royal Dutch Shell said on Tuesday that Europe’s largest oil refinery will be shut for at least two weeks following a weekend fire, with the prolonged shutdown threatening to tighten gasoline and diesel markets in Europe.
The Rotterdam-based refinery, which can process 400,000 barrels a day of crude at peak capacity, was forced to shut down the majority of units after a blaze in its power generation system. The shutdown comes at a time of heightened demand for motor fuels as holidaymakers take to the roads during the summer months.
During the early hours of Sunday morning there was a fire in the refinery, caused by short-circuiting in a high voltage cable. Shell shut the refinery down, which resulted in extra gas that needed to be flared off. That led to explosions and spectacular flames in the night sky.
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