Members of US Congress and the public urge more drilling

(ICIS) -- One year after the BP rig disaster, federal regulators are urging further safety and containment measures, the energy industry complains of slow permitting, and members of Congress and the public urge more drilling as US gasoline prices edge past USD 4/gal (EUR 0.74/litre).

The American Petroleum Institute (API) said that beyond the regulatory and policy issues raised by the 20 April 2010 rig explosion and months-long oil spill, ⌠it is important that we remember the 11 workers who died in the accident, their families and the communities along the Gulf coast that were most affected.

⌠We should also keep in mind our industry's unprecedented response to addressing the spill and to improving safety after the accident, said API president Jack Gerard, noting that federal regulators incorporated a number of industry recommendations in the Interior Department's new and broadened offshore development regulations.

Interior Department Secretary Ken Salazar cited the one-year anniversary of the BP accident in convening the first meeting in Washington of a new a government and stakeholder group called the Ocean Energy Safety Advisory Committee (OESC). The 15-member panel includes federal officials, representatives of the offshore oil and gas industry, academics and various research groups.

Salazar said the panel would advise his department ⌠on matters and actions relating to offshore energy safety, including drilling and workplace safety, blowout containment and spill response.

MRC

(Ceepackaging) -- Polymer layers in packaging films may soon be able to be replaced by a new bio-based material made from whey protein. This material has excellent techno-functional properties. At the interpack fair from 12 to 18 May 2011 in Dusseldorf a packaging film having a barrier layer made of whey protein will be shown. This material was developed as part of the Wheylayer EU project. Large quantities of whey are produced during cheese manufacture and whey also contains antimicrobial substances. The multilayer film was manufactured using a roll-to-roll method. This processing method is a key precondition for fulfilling commercial criteria. The products and processes that have thus far been developed on a laboratory and pilot plant scale will be transferred to an industrial scale this year, meaning that the new whey layer material will soon be able to be used in the packaging sector.

MRC

(PlastEurope) -- Specialist composite materials supplier GRPMS has signed a distribution agreement with Sigmatex for its range of carbon fibre textiles. The agreement covers the UK, Eire, France, Scandinavia and the Baltic states.

Sigmatex manufactures textiles that optimise the performance of carbon fibre in complex structures. Its products include woven, unidirectional, multi-axial and three-dimensional fabrics. They are used in the manufacture of components for the aerospace and automotive industries, in construction, defence and marine applications. In addition to its UK production unit in Runcorn, Sigmatex has factories in Benicia, California / USA and in the Jinshan district of Shanghai / China.

GRPMS is a member of Umeco Composites Structural Materials, a division of Umeco. Its supplier portfolio includes resins and gel coats from Ashland and Cray Valley, Jushi glass reinforcements and Syrgis catalysts.

MRC

(PlastEurope) -- German industrial packaging manufacturer Schutz at the end of April inaugurated a new production plant in Tianjin (China), the company's second in the People's Republic. Once operational, some 50 employees will work in the 50.000m2 facility, producing intermediate bulk containers (IBCs) as well as F1 screw cap barrels. Schutz has been manufacturing IBCs in Shanghai since 2004.

The site's new production lines - including a triple layer extrusion line for IBCs - boast the latest technological advances and also meet the FDA's standards for the manufacture of containers transporting foodstuffs. Aside from increased flexibility and proximity to its customers, the new site also offers logistical advantages thanks to shorter transport routes.

MRC

(ICIS) -- Indian styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) prices surged past USD 4.000/tonne (EUR 2.760/tonne) this week and look set to remain firm in May as supply is tighter than expected, industry sources said on Thursday. Spot prices for non-oil grade 1502 spiked USD 200/tonne week on week to USD 4.000-4.100/tonne CFR (cost & freight) India on 20 April, ICIS data showed.

Heavy turnaround schedule at regional plants this quarter constrains SBR availability, which is aggravated by supply disruption in Japan and limited material coming from Europe, traders said.

TSRC Corp in Taiwan; Zeon Corp in Japan; and Bridgestone Huizhou Synthetic Rubber, Lanzhou Petrochemical and Gaoqiao Petrochemical in China have scheduled maintenance at their SBR plants in April and May.

In Japan, a number of SBR plants have shut operations or cut production in the wake of the massive 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami that struck the northeastern part of the country on March 11.

MRC