Russian producers to decrease domestic prices for PVC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Reduction of export prices for American PVC in July suspended. Some Russian producers were forced to reduce July contract prices, according to ICIS-MRC Price Report.

North American producers completed their offers for July shipment to external market, and this month they don't plan to decrease prices. Over the month, export quotations for American PVC fell more than by USD 100/mt.

European producers will start discussion of export prices for PVC in July only at the end of the week, after contract prices for ethylene in Europe will be formed. Some market players suppose that last week decrease of oil quotations may result in reduction of contract price for ethylene by EUR 80-100/mt.

Under the pressure of considerable decrease of prices in the external markets, some Russian producers also declared decrease of PVC prices for domestic market. Talks on the level of contract prices still go on, but some converters confirmed that they had managed to reduce prices by 1.500 RUB/t.

MRC

(LyondellBasell) -- LyondellBasell has launched two new low density polyethylene (LDPE) resins that offer enhanced performance for a wide range of film applications. The new grades are produced using the company's Lupotech T high pressure tubular process technology.

Lupolen 3420J and Lupolen 3426J feature numerous benefits compared to standard LDPE products used in film such as higher stiffness, optimized puncture and tear resistance, optimum optics and low gel levels. Key beneficiaries of this technology include producers of label, hygiene, overwrap and lamination film, tissue packaging and surface protection film.


LyondellBasell is one of the world's largest plastics, chemical and refining companies. The company manufactures products at 58 sites in 18 countries.

MRC

(BASF) -- Every thermal paper contains a color developer as a key component in a chemical system designed to produce an image or record upon the application of heat. For many years Bisphenol A (BPA) was widely used as a color developer but recently there have been many concerns raised regarding its toxicological properties and therefore its suitability for use in thermal paper. As a result of these concerns, a number of retail companies are now looking for BPA- and phenol-free thermal receipt papers.


As a leading global manufacturer of Paper Chemicals, BASF has a range of high quality products that are used in the manufacture of thermal paper. At a time when alternatives to BPA are being requested by end users of thermal paper, BASF has gone one step further and offers Pergafast 201, a proprietary color developer that is not only an alternative to BPA, but is also non-phenolic. Because of this two-fold benefit, the product more than meets the demand from the industry.


High image stability of this new product class enables a wide range of applications such as tickets, tags, labels and bank statements where such properties are essential.


MRC

(Reuters) - Japan's Tonen Chemical Corp restarted its 491 KTa naphtha cracker in Kawasaki, south of Tokyo, on Thursday morning after roughly two weeks of shutdown, its parent TonenGeneral Sekiyu KK said. The cracker had been shut since June 10 due to a problem, a TonenGeneral spokeswoman said. Tonen Chemical is the petrochemical unit of TonenGeneral Sekiyu.

MRC

(Arabian Oil and Gas) -- Swiss firm Transocean, which lost it's Deepwater Horizon rig in the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster, has laid the blame for the explosion and subsequent spill largely at the feet of BP.

In an extensive report, which in parts diverges from US government analyses of the disaster, Transocean acknowledges some failings but what it describes at "the incident it states, was caused by ⌠a succession of interrelated well design, construction and temporary abandonment decisions that compromised the integrity of the well and compounded the risk of failure.

"Temporary abadonment" effectively blames BP as it is a process of plugging a well after initial drilling so that new equipment can be brought in to complete the well in order for production to begin; the report states that BP engineers produced at least five such plans for the well from April 12 to April 20, the day of the blast.

An investigation by the US Coast Guard released in April criticised Transocean and found that the halting of the spill was complicated by ⌠numerous system deficiencies, and acts and omissions by the company and its crew on the rig, according to the Financial Times.

MRC