Japan's Maruzen Shuts 2 Group Crackers After Quake

Japan's Maruzen Petrochemical said on Friday it shut its sole naphtha cracker at Chiba, east of Tokyo, with capacity to produce 480,000 tons per year of ethylene, after a strong earthquake.

Maruzen's Keiyo Ethylene unit also shut a 690,000 tpy naphtha cracker in Chiba after the quake, a Maruzen spokesman said.

Keiyo Ethylene is 55%-owned by Maruzen Petrochemical and 22.5% each by Mitsui Chemicals and Sumitomo Chemical.