Blast Kills Worker at India's MRPL Refinery, Threatening Fuel Supply Amid Iran War Tightness

A high-pressure Cold Separator ruptured Wednesday at Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd.'s 15-million-tonne-per-year refinery in Mangaluru, India, killing one worker and injuring at least eight others, the company and local authorities said. The explosion occurred around noon local time, triggering a fire that took roughly two and a half hours to extinguish. MRPL isolated the affected Coker Hydrotreater Unit and deployed emergency response teams. The company has not disclosed how long the unit will remain offline or whether the accident will reduce overall throughput. The blast was heard more than 10 kilometers away. The disruption comes as India pushes refineries above normal operating rates to offset tight fuel supplies following the Iran war. MRPL had planned to run the Mangaluru plant above 100% of capacity through March 2027. The state-controlled refiner, a subsidiary of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, declared force majeure on gasoline exports earlier in 2026 as the Iran conflict disrupted crude flows through the Strait of Hormuz.