BASF to declare FM on polybutylene terephthalate

(ICIS) -- BASF has declared force majeure on polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) and reduced output volumes because of limited availability of feedstock butanediol (BDO), the chemicals major said on Wednesday.

Europe's largest PBT producer declared force majeure on PBT base polymer and compounds, both marketed under the BASF trade name Ultradur, on 7 June. However, it is still producing material.

BASF's Ludwigshafen facility is not currently producing BDO because of a lack of raw material acetylene. Production of the feedstock was disrupted following a fire in a precursor plant at the facility on 30 May. The company declared force majeure on BDO on 31 May.

PBT production at the 100 KTa facility in Schwarzheide, Germany, will be increased once BDO stock is more readily available, the source said. In the meantime, its customers are on allocation.

MRC

(SIBUR) -- On June 17, 2011 at 12:30 p.m. Moscow time and 9:30 a.m. London time (BST) at the Press Centre of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (Pavilion 6, Conference Room 6.3), agreements will be signed for the project funding of ⌠RusVinyl LLC, under guarantees by the export credit agencies of France and Belgium.

The bank syndicate providing the financing includes Sberbank of Russia, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, BNP PARIBAS, ING Bank N.V. and HSBC France.

⌠RusVinyl LLC is a joint venture between SIBUR, the leading petrochemicals producer in Russia, CIS and Eastern Europe and SolVin (a joint venture of Solvay and BASF), which is building a complex for PVC production with a capacity of 330,000 tonnes per annum in the Kstovo District of the Nizhny Novgorod Region.

MRC

(ICIS) -- Tessenderlo is to sell its polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and chlor-alkali businesses to INEOS ChlorVinyls for EUR 110m (USD 159m) on a cash-free, debt free basis, the Belgium-based chemical company said on Tuesday. INEOS ChlorVinyls is part of UK-based Kerling, a leading manufacturer of PVC and caustic soda in Europe.

The company has signed a sale and purchase agreement with Tessenderlo to purchase its chlor-alkali and vinyls organic chlorine derivatives (OCD) assets at its Tessenderlo site in Belgium.

The PVC sites in Mazingarbe, France, and at Beek in the Netherlands - as well as a fourth site in Maastricht, the Netherlands, which also has a benzyl alcohol plant - are also part of the transaction.

After the transaction, Tessenderlo will exit from the commodities market and focus on its sulphate, akiolis and gelatine businesses, and its remaining plastics pipe systems and water treatment segment.

MRC

(Arabian Oil and Gas) -- Graham Corporation has announced it has been awarded a contract to procure vacuum system for a refinery in the Middle East. The company didn't name the project, but it mentioned it is under construction, it also said that the delivery is planned for April - June 30, 2012.

James Lines, Graham's president and chief executive officer, commented, ⌠The oil refining markets in the Middle East are expanding, with plans to add refining and petrochemical production capability throughout the region over the next four to five years. We have an excellent reputation for delivering critical services to oil refineries and petrochemical production plants, and this new contract adds to our recent successes on projects at two other refineries now under construction in the region.

Graham Corporation is a global designer and manufacturer of critical equipment for the oil refining, petrochemical and power industries, including the supply of components and raw materials to nuclear power plants.

MRC

(Arabian Oil and Gas) -- Orpic, the new name and brand for Oman Oil Refineries and Petroleum Industries Company SAOC, was launched at the firm's plants in Muscat and Sohar.

Orpic is the culmination of a successful 12-month integration programme for Oman Refineries and Petrochemicals Company LLC (ORPC), Aromatics Oman LLC (AOL) and Oman Polypropylene LLC (OPP). With plants in both Muscat and Sohar, Orpic aims to set a new standard for Oman's refining and petrochemicals industry with increased efficiencies and significantly improved operational and financial performance.

The launch of the new brand Orpic' is part of the restructure process started almost a year ago to integrate Oman Refineries and Petrochemical Company with each of Aromatics Oman and Oman Polypropylene.

MRC