ExxonMobil’s Baton Rouge refinery
Mars attacks US oil industry
Crude quality issues are an often understated risk to energy security, highlighted by problems at a key US refinery
ExxonMobil's 522,000b/d Baton Rouge refinery, one of the nation's largest, has halted purchases of Mars crude oil because of a critical zinc contamination that poses a serious threat to refinery operations. The quality issue emerged following Chevron’s startup of an offshore oil well. Mars crude, along with Poseidon and Southern Green Canyon is a key US medium sour crude oil and is also a component of the Argus Sour Crude Index benchmark. 550,000b/d – Mars production Zinc poses a significant problem for refinery equipment, and refiners—especially on the US Gulf Coast—will be desperate to find alternatives to Mars. While ExxonMobil is set to borrow 1m bl of oil from the Strategic Petr
Also in this section
24 December 2025
As activity in the US Gulf has stagnated at a lower level, the government is taking steps to encourage fresh exploration and bolster field development work
23 December 2025
The new government has brought stability and security to the country, with the door now open to international investment
23 December 2025
A third wave of LNG supply is coming, and with it a likely oversupply of the fuel by 2028
22 December 2025
Weakening climate resolve in the developed world and rapidly growing demand in developing countries means peak oil is still a long way away
