Exxon Crane Collapse Delays Refinery Operations, Pending Sale

A 300-ton crane at a Torrance, California, refinery that Exxon Mobil Corp plans to sell fell onto a portion of a gasoline unit at the plant, industry sources said on Monday. Three workers escaped with minor injuries as the crane toppled over while lifting a reactor top for the 100,000 barrel per day (bpd) gasoline-producing fluidic catalytic cracking unit (FCCU) at the 149,500 bpd refinery. The damage to piping, the crane and time needed to clear it away could delay by weeks the refinery reaching 15 straight days of normal operations as required by the sales agreement signed in September with PBF Energy, which is to pay $537.5 million for the plant.