UK refinery hit by Petroplus woes
ONE of the largest oil refineries in the UK has reportedly stopped fuel supplies after its Swiss owner admitted it was on the brink of collapse.
Coryton refinery in Essex - a key source of petrol in London and the South East - suspended sales yesterday and told around 1,000 staff it was unsure when supplies would start again, the Financial Times said.
The shutdown at the former BP-owned refinery - with a total capacity of 175,000 barrels of crude oil per day - comes as Petroplus, its Zurich-based owner, said talks with its lenders had broken down and it would be filing for insolvency.
Petroplus chief executive Jean-Paul Vettier said: “We are fully aware of the impact that this will have on our workforce, their families and the communities where we have operated our businesses.”