Oman Oil Refineries and Petroleum Industries Co (Orpic) plans a total shutdown for maintenance on its Sohar oil refinery next March, the company's chief executive said on Tuesday.

The shutdown will start March 1, 2016, and last for 45 days, CEO Musaab al-Mahrouqi told Reuters.

"The refinery will be completely shutdown in Sohar. It is planned maintenance, so there will be no impact," he said, when asked about the effect of the closure on the market.

Orpic's other refinery, Mina al-Fahal, will operate normally during that time, he said.

Sohar has a processing capacity of 116,000 barrels per day (bpd) of Omani crude and Mina al-Fahal 106,000 bpd. – Reuters