Aster declares force majeure on disruption in supply of raw materials

Published Fri, Mar 6, 2026 · 04:05 PM — Updated Fri, Mar 6, 2026 · 06:53 PM

[SINGAPORE] Singapore refiner and petrochemical major Aster Chemicals and Energy has declared force majeure regarding supplies, citing a disruption in raw materials because of the Middle East conflict, a company spokesperson said on Friday (Mar 6).

The joint venture of trading major Glencore and Indonesia’s Chandra Asri operates a refinery that handles 237,000 barrels a day, and a cracker with a capacity of 1.1 million tonnes a year, in Singapore’s Bukom and Jurong Island.

“This step is administrative in nature and follows a comprehensive assessment of potential implications on our ability to fulfil obligations to customers,” the spokesperson added.

There were no details on the products affected.

“The reduced operating run rate is across our plants to responsibly manage available feedstock and maintain safe operations,” the spokesperson said in response to a Reuters query on refining site operations.

Some products covered by the force majeure were ethylene and propylene, according to two sources and a letter reviewed by Reuters, but the company did not comment.

Aster’s steam cracker is running at around 50 per cent, having just restarted at the end of February, the two sources added. This was after prolonged maintenance and force majeure in August 2025. REUTERS