Sept. 27 (Bloomberg) -- Hovensa LLC, the second-biggest gasoline exporter to the U.S, shut the fluid catalytic cracker at its Virgin Islands refinery today to repair a wet gas scrubber.

The company has no estimate for how long the units will be shut, Hovensa spokesman Alex Moorhead said in a telephone interview. The scrubber treats the gasoline and distillates ``that are generated in the cat cracker to prevent air emission particulates from occurring.''

The cat cracker processes 150,000 barrels a day of gasoline and distillate fuels, and the entire refinery has a daily processing capacity of 500,000 barrels, Moorehead said.

New York-based Amerada Hess Corp. and Venezuela's state oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela SA, own Hovensa.

Canada is the biggest gasoline exporter to the U.S., according to Energy Department data.

To contact the reporter on this story: Barbara Powell in Dallas at Bpowell4@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: September 27, 2007 15:03 EDT