SABIC to take decision on Ibn Rushd by year-end

(Arabian Oiland Gas) -- Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) is expected to take a decision regarding the expansion of Arabian Industrial Fibers Company (Ibn Rushd), located in Yanbu, Red Sea coast of the Saudi Kingdom, by the year end, according to Mohammed Al-Madi, CEO of the company.

Ibn Rushd's complex in Yanbu, produces aromatics, purified terephthalic acid, which is used in making polyester, and polyester staples. After the expansion, Ibn Rushd's PTA capacity would rise to 700,000 t/y from the current 350,000 t/y.

The expansion will also raise output capacity of polyethylene terephthalate to 750,000 tp/ from 330,000 t/y.

MRC

(Arabian Oiland Gas) -- Iran has exported its first petrochemical shipment to Egypt as part of a new agreement with two countries in this field, according to Reza Hamzehlou, managing director of Iran Petrochemical Commercial Company.

⌠The final stages of negotiations between Iran and Egypt were going on for exporting 5 main petrochemical products including polypropylene, urea fertiliser, methanol, polymer grades and parazyline, The Mehr News Agency reported.

In addition, talks have started in the ALBA region (Latin America) with countries such as Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia and Brazil for the exporting of Iranian petrochemical products to these countries.

Iranian petrochemical products represent 25.8% of the Middle East's total export and 2.4% of the global output.

It also plans to produce 44 million tonnes of petrochemicals by the end of the current year.

MRC

(Kunststoffe) -- BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany, has announced plans to build a production facility for customer specific antioxidant blends (CSB) in Bahrain, Saudi-Arabia.

The new CSB plant will come in addition to the existing tolling agreement for CSB with Astra Polymer in the Kingdom of Saudi-Arabia, which is mainly supplying local customers.

As the world's leading Plastic Additives supplier, BASF is committed to support polymer growth in the Middle East Region with local production as well as the services that customers demand.

MRC

(Kunststoffe) -- Tessenderlo Group, Brussels, Belgium, has signed, through its French subsidiary CTS, an agreement with the Chinese authorities to start up a new production plant. This plant will produce thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) and PVC slush compounds for its customers in the automotive industry.

Production is scheduled to start in autumn 2011, with employment growing progressively to approximately 70 people. The new plant will be located in Changsu (Jiangsu province), about 90km from Shanghai.

CTS Automotive Compounds (Changsu) Ltd. will produce for the Asian market with 3 production lines. The products that will be manufactured are CTS Tefabloc compounds (TPEs) for airbag covers, sealing applications, cables and interior parts, as well as the Marvyflo compounds (PVC slush molding) for dashboards and door panels.

MRC

(Bloomberg) -- French refineries remained shut and gas stations ran dry as unions held their fourth strike in two months against President Sarkozy's plan to raise the retirement age.

French oil companies plan to share supplies and transport in order to combat shortages, says Jean-Louis Schilansky, head of refiners' group Union Francaise des Industries Petroliers.

⌠We have the products in the depots but we can't get them to where they're needed, Schilansky said. ⌠We will work on a coordination of all operators.

France's 12 refineries have been on strike for a week, and no crude is arriving at the ports of Marseille, Le Havre and Nantes.

Exxon Mobil Corp. declared ⌠force majeure, in France, saying it will be unable to meet some of its oil supply obligations and that it has begun shutting down its Gravenchon refinery, the larger of its two oil-processors in the country.

Total SA, the country's biggest oil company, said a quarter of the 4,000 service stations it operates in France face shortages of one or more fuel products because of the strike.

MRC