is a Japanese

petrochemical Petrochemicals (sometimes abbreviated as petchems) are the chemical products obtained from petroleum by refining. Some chemical compounds made from petroleum are also obtained from other fossil fuels, such as coal or natural gas, or renewable s ...

company. It is Japan's third-biggest refiner by sales after

Eneos , formerly , or NOC or ''Shin-Nisseki'' (新日石) is a Japanese petroleum company. Its businesses include exploration, importation, and refining of crude oil; the manufacture and sale of petroleum products, including fuels and lubricants; and ...

and

Idemitsu Kosan is a Japanese petroleum company. It owns and operates oil platforms, Oil refinery, refineries, produces and sells petroleum, oils and petrochemical products, and also operates gas stations under the brand and until 2023, in its own ''Idemitsu' ...

History

Cosmo in Japan traces its corporate roots to Maruzen Petroleum (丸善石油株式会社), a company established in 1931, although the oil business operated by Maruzen was originally established by Zenzo Matsumura in

Kobe Kobe ( ; , ), officially , is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. With a population of around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's List of Japanese cities by population, seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Port of Toky ...

in 1907. Cosmo Oil Company was formed on April 1, 1986, through the merger of Maruzen Petroleum and Daikyo Petroleum, a group of oil businesses based in

Niigata Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture in the Chūbu region of Honshu of Japan. Niigata Prefecture has a population of 2,131,009 (1 July 2023) and is the List of Japanese prefectures by area, fifth-largest prefecture of Japan by geographic area ...

, which merged in 1939. A major fire occurred at the Cosmo refinery in Ichihara, as a result of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake. It was extinguished after ten days, injuring six people and destroying storage tanks The ultimate cause was traced to the collapse of supports for LPG Tank 364, which had been filled with water and undergoing hydrostatic testing at the time the earthquake struck. The collapse fractured LPG pipes, releasing gas that then ignited, in turn igniting LPG in several adjacent tanks. In February 2015, the company said it will reorganize itself under a holding company to boost profitability. Also in 2015, in March, Cosmo Oil formed an LPG joint-venture, by merging its LPG business with three other company's LPG units. The new company, named Gyxis Corporation, started effective operations on April 1, 2015. Along Cosmo, the other three shareholding companies are Showa Shell Sekiyu, TonenGeneral Sekiyu, and

Sumitomo Corporation is one of the largest worldwide '' sōgō shōsha'' general trading companies, and is a diversified corporation. The company was incorporated in 1919 and is a member company of the Sumitomo Group. It is listed on three Japanese stock exchange ...

, all with 25% of the ownership.

Refineries

Cosmo operates three refineries, all of which are located in Japan: *

Ichihara, Chiba is a Cities of Japan, city, located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 274,117 in 128,316 households and a population density of 240 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . The city is home, together w ...

(former Maruzen refinery): * Yokkaichi, Mie (former Daikyo refinery): *

Sakai, Osaka is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It has been one of the largest and most important seaports of Japan since the medieval era. Sakai is known for its ''kofun'', keyhole-shaped burial mounds dating from the fifth century. The ''kofun' ...

(former Maruzen refinery): In August 2012, the company announced that it will close its Sakaide plant in southwest Japan. The refinery, which was closed and turned into an oil terminal in July 2013, was a former Asia Oil refinery with a capacity of .

Gallery

References

External links

* {{Authority control Oil companies of Japan Petrochemical companies Chemical companies based in Tokyo Oil companies based in Tokyo Companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Retail companies established in 1986 Energy companies established in 1986 Non-renewable resource companies established in 1986 Japanese companies established in 1986 Automotive fuel retailers Japanese brands Midori-kai

History

Refineries

Gallery

See also

References

External links