Petrotechnics increases presence in Oman

(Arabian Oil and Gas) -- Petrotechnics has formed a partnership with Omani company Rukun Al Yaqeen (RAY) International Oil & Gas to provide a web-based safety-at-work system tailored to the challenges of the often unstructured and dynamic nature of management, maintenance and associated activity in the oil and gas industry.


RAY is a provider of oil and gas well services for Maintenance and Integrity, Well Cementing and Stimulation, Wireline, Laboratory and Environmental Services.


The web based system, called Sentinel PRO, controls the risks of an oil and gas working environment through a unified business process. The system integrates permit to work, risk assessments and isolation management and delivers it to the frontline user in an intuitive graphical real-time software tool.


Iain Mackay, executive vice president of Petrotechnics, said: ⌠Oman has huge potential and we expect to see strong growth in the Middle East this year.


MRC

China hit by worst power crisis in years

(ICIS) -- China is grappling with its worst power shortage in years, particularly in the country's main industrial bases in the east and south, which will lead to reduced economic output in the second quarter, industry sources said on Monday.


China typically faces a power crunch from June to September, when demand is at its peak. This year, the shortage came about in March, and it is expected to worsen, said a source from the State Grid, which builds and operates China's power networks.


China Electricity Council, a power-industry federation, said in late April that a power shortfall of about 30m kilowatts will be seen this summer and that the demand gap will likely expand.


A fuel shortage has resulted from heavy demand for diesel since March, as the manufacturing season approaches its peak. State-owned oil firms are trying to address the lack of fuel by cutting production of chemicals and curbing exports. The power restrictions in place in select regions of China will only aggravate the fuel shortage, analysts said.


In the eastern Zhejiang province, some polyvinyl chloride (PVC) facilities and their downstream pipeline plants reduced operating rates by 10-20% from March, sources said.


Some polyester plants in this province have bought diesel generators, hoping to keep normal production at plants in anticipation of the power rationing, they said.


China's energy giants China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) and Sinopec are boosting domestic supply of diesel amid the power shortage.


MRC

Polypropylene production in Ukraine reduced in April

MOSCOW (MRC) -- In April polypropylene (PP) production in Ukraine reduced by 15% as a result of declined refining in Lisichanskiy refinery, according to MRC ScanPlast.


LINIK (Lisichanskiy refinery) reduced refining of oil stock by 34% to 374.9 KT in April, supplies to the plant reduced by 39,9 % to 341.1 KT. Despite such a considerable reduction of oil conversion, polypropylene (PP) output reduced only by 15% compared to March and made 7.85 KT. In May at the expense of increased supplies of oil it is expected that production will reach the level of March.
Decline in PP production at LINIK doesn't affect the balance of the domestic market. The Ukrainian producer keeps on supplying efficient volumes of the polymer to the domestic market, reducing only export deliveries. In early May the enterprise raised the prices for PP more than by USD 140/mt, having reached the level of prices for the European PP.


Despite the growth of the contract price for propylene in Europe in this month, in May European producers declined export prices for propylene by EUR 10-20/mt. Current weakening of euro against dollar and, as a result, against national currency made the European material more available for Ukrainian converters.


MRC

Global bioplastics production capacity will double in next five years

(Ceepackaging) -- Global bioplastics production capacity will more than double from 2010 to 2015. Capacity is predicted to pass the one million tonne mark already in 2011, according to a current study presented yesterday by the industry association European Bioplastics in cooperation with the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Hanover at the interpack trade fair in Dusseldorf.


From a figure of around 700 KT in 2010, the production capacity for bioplastics will increase to a predicted 1.7 million tonnes by 2015. The current year will see capacity pass an important threshold: the first half of 2011 already shows production capacity exceeding 900 KT. The million tonne mark is close, and will likely be passed by the bioplastics industry within this year. ⌠The encouraging trend in production capacity allows us to assume, that the figures presented today will even be exceeded in the coming years, explains Hasso von Pogrell, Managing Director of European Bioplastics.


A further change is evident in the composition of global production volume. In 2010, the bio-plastics branch primarily produced biodegradable materials, totalling around 400 KT(compared to 300 KT of biobased commodity plastics). This ratio will be reversed in the coming years - despite overall growth.


Europe is the world's largest and most interesting market for bioplastics and is the leader in research and development. The number of production facilities, in contrast, is growing most markedly in Asia and South America. The competitiveness of European industrial sites must therefore be improved through better frameworks and regulations.


MRC

BASF to increase prices globally for Emgard synthetic lubricants

(BASF) -- Effective May 16, 2011, or as contracts allow, BASF will increase its prices globally of up to 9 % for the Emgard line of synthetic lubricants. Emgard is a registered trademark of Cognis which is now part of BASF. The price adjustments are necessary due to significantly increased raw material costs.


BASF is the world's leading chemical company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products and agricultural products to oil and gas. BASF posted sales of about EUR 63.9 billion in 2010 and had approximately 109,000 employees as of the end of the year.


MRC