Shell, Pemex flag threats of Deer Park delay: Update

Shell, Pemex flag threats of Deer Park delay: Update

Adds court decision to deny application for enjoinder

Houston, 6 January (Argus) — Shell and Pemex have nearly finalized the $596mn deal to hand over control of the 340,000 b/d Deer Park, Texas, refinery to Mexico's oil firm, despite an unsuccessful legal challenge that sought to hold up the deal on antitrust concerns.

A legal complaint from a group of New York-based laundromat owners marked the latest challenge to the sale, which has faced political resistance since Shell announced plans in May to transfer the facility to its longtime joint venture partner. Aaron Hagele and Andrew Sarcinella, owners of a laundromat in Mt Vernon, New York, filed a lawsuit in December seeking to stop the sale based on the argument that it will reduce competition in the US gasoline market, leading to higher prices for retail consumers and business owners across the country.