Syncrude Canada coker unit returns to operation

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 9 (Reuters) - Maintenance work on one of Syncrude Canada Ltd's main processing units took longer than expected, but it is returning to operation, the joint venture's largest owner said on Tuesday.

Canadian Oil Sands Trust COS_u.TO said crews were resuming production from the 8-3 coker unit that was taken out of operation on March 17 for what was expected to be about two months of planned maintenance work.

The work on the unit in Fort McMurray, Alberta, "took longer than anticipated, and the associated costs are correspondingly higher than budget," the trust said in a statement that did provide financial details.

Syncrude, which can produce as much as 350,000 barrels a day, has two other coker units that turn tar-like crude from the oil sands into refinery-ready light oil. It is the world's largest producer of synthetic oil.

The trust's partners in the Syncrude venture are Imperial Oil Ltd (IMO.TO), Petro-Canada PCA.TO, ConocoPhillips (COP.N), Nexen Inc (NXY.TO) , Nippon Oil Corp 5001.T unit Mocal Engery Ltd and Murphy Oil Corp (MUR.N). (Reporting Allan Dowd; Editing by Gary Hill)