Saudi Aramco and Shell plan to break up Motiva refining venture in US

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Shell and Saudi Aramco has announced plans to break up Motiva Enterprises LLC and divide up the assets, almost two decades after forming the US oil refining and marketing joint venture, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The split comes after early signs of the break-up emerged last summer when Motiva set up its own oil products trading business separate from Shell.

"The Motiva joint venture with Shell has served our downstream business objectives very well for many years," Abdulrahman Al-Wuhaib, senior vice president of downstream at Saudi Aramco, said in the statement.

"However, it is now time for the partners to pursue their independent downstream goals."

Under the terms of a non-binding letter of intent, the Saudi state oil giant will take over the Port Arthur, Texas, refinery, the biggest in the US, retain 26 distribution terminals as well as the Motiva name, according to a statement.

It will also have an exclusive license to use the Shell brand for gasoline and diesel sales in Texas, the majority of the Mississippi Valley, the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic markets, it said.

For its part, Shell will assume sole ownership of the Norco, Louisiana, refinery, where it also operates a chemicals plant, the Convent, Louisiana refinery, nine distribution terminals, as well as Shell branded markets in Florida, Louisiana and the Northeastern region.

As MRC informed previously, in April 2015, Royal Dutch Shell completed a revamp and upgrade of its Singapore ethane cracker. The project increased production for the 800,000-tpy ethylene plant on Bukom Island by 20%. The ethylene and olefins unit is also integrated with Shell’s 500,000-bpd refinery.

Royal Dutch Shell plc is an Anglo-Dutch multinational oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the biggest company in the world in terms of revenue and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors". Shell is vertically integrated and is active in every area of the oil and gas industry, including exploration and production, refining, distribution and marketing, petrochemicals, power generation and trading.
MRC

Celanese raises March price of EVA-based emulsions in Asia

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Celanese Corporation, a global technology and specialty materials company and a global leader in vinyl acetate/ethylene (EVA) emulsions, has announced that it has increase the price of vinyl acetate-based emulsions sold in Asia, as per the company's press release.

EVA emulsions increased by Yuan 200/MT for China and USD25/MT for the rest of Asia effective March 10, 2016, or as contracts allow.

This price increase affects all applications including, but not limited to, adhesives, paints and coatings, waterproofing, building and construction, glass fiber, carpet and paper.

This increase is attributed to the continued pressures on raw materials, notably ethylene and vinyl acetate monomer (VAM).

As MRC informed previously, Celanese Corporation last increased its prices of EVA emulsions sold in Asia on 31 October, as follows: EVA emulsions increased by Yuan 260/tonne for China and USD35/tonne for the rest of Asia.

Celanese Corporation is a global technology leader in the production of differentiated chemistry solutions and specialty materials used in most major industries and consumer applications. Based in Dallas, Celanese employs approximately 7,000 employees worldwide and had 2015 net sales of USD5.7 billion.
MRC

BASF presented SLENTITE for the first time in a customer project at “Frontale”

MOSCOW (MRC) -- BASF, the world's petrochemical major, has presented SLENTITE, the new high-performance insulating material, said the producer on its site.

In the design and construction sectors, the properties of SLENTITE are opening up totally new potential. The innovative material based on a polyurethane aerogel is manufactured as a heavy-duty panel displaying exceptional insulation performance. Owing to its open-porous structure, the material provides moisture regulation and thus contributes to a pleasant interior climate: сustomized climate management with the new high-performance insulating material. Inserted between the window frame and the masonry, SLENTITE makes window modernization even more attractive. The PU aerogel can be installed as thermal insulation wedges between walls and windows indoors and outdoors, regardless of the window frame material. Existing window jamb systems can be reduced further in size, as the new high-performance insulation panel is extremely slim.

"We now have the chance to eliminate thermal weak points in the building envelope, prevent damage and enhance interior comfort," says Dr. Marc Fricke, SLENTITE Project Manager at BASF Polyurethanes.

SLENTITE also facilitates further product improvements in roller shutter casings and lamellar blind boxes. For a new or upgraded building to be truly energy-efficient, attention has to be paid to the details. Roller shutter casings insulated with SLENTITE deliver excellent insulation values regardless of the wall structure and thickness. "With the new BASF high-performance insulating material, we’ve succeeded in improving our existing top products by another 35 percent," says Michael Kruger, Development Director at Beck + Heun.

As MRC reported earlier, in September 2015, BASF began its first production of diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI) at its wholly-owned site in Chongqing, China. Production will be ramped up gradually in line with market demand.

MDI is an important component for polyurethanes - an extremely versatile plastics material that contributes towards improved insulation, provides lighter materials for cars, and helps save energy in buildings. MDI production will support these key industries in China’s western areas.

BASF is the largest diversified chemical company in the world and is headquartered in Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF produces a wide range of chemicals, for example solvents, amines, resins, glues, electronic-grade chemicals, industrial gases, basic petrochemicals and inorganic chemicals. The most important customers for this segment are the pharmaceutical, construction, textile and automotive industries. BASF had sales of over EUR70 billion in 2014 and over 113,000 employees.
MRC

Rosneft to resume production at Angarsk polymer plant by June

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Russian oil group Rosneft expects to resume production of ethylene at its Angarsk polymer plant, Russia, by the start of June, said Interfax.

Partial failure of equipment led to the shutdown. In the first week of this month, Sayanskkhimplast, which receives ethylene from the Angarsk cracker, was preparing to fully suspend production of ethylene derivative polyvinvyl chloride and upstream caustic soda owing to an interruption in ethylene supplies from Angarsk.

The Sayanskkhimplast plant has been running on a limited feedstock since February 10, reducing procurement of materials and equipment.

As MRC informed earlier, SayanskKhimplast has declared force majeure on deliveries of polymer in March - April.

The Angarsk polymer plant produced 135,000 mt of ethylene, 80,500 mt of propylene, 65,100 mt of high density polyethylene, 20,800 mt of styrene, 15,600 mt of polystyrene and 59,300 mt of benzene in 2014, according to company data.
MRC

Amec Foster wins work for planned Karachi refinery upgrade

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Amec Foster Wheeler announces today the award of a contract by Pakistan Refinery Limited (PRL) for a detailed feasibility study to upgrade their refinery in Karachi, Pakistan, said the company on its site.

PRL’s refinery, on the coastal belt of Karachi, is designed to process various imported and local crude oil. It is one of the principal manufacturers and suppliers of petroleum products to domestic markets.

This feasibility study will investigate and propose ways that the refinery can be upgraded to meet tougher product specifications through regulatory changes, as well as expansion to provide more of the petroleum products that are in demand in the domestic market, whilst ensuring the sustainability of the refinery.

A particular focus of the study will be into upgrading technologies to minimise the production of fuel oil from the refinery as well as making cleaner and higher quality products.

As MRC informed earlier, Amec Foster Wheeler was awarded a front-end engineering design (FEED) contract by PetroVietnam for their Dung Quat oil refinery expansion in Quang Ngai Province, Vietnam.

Amec Foster Wheeler designs, delivers and maintains strategic and complex assets for its customers across the global energy and related sectors. Employing around 40,000 people in more than 55 countries and with 2015 revenues of GBP5.5 billion, the company operates across the oil and gas industry – from production through to refining, processing and distribution of derivative products – and in the mining, clean energy, power generation, pharma, environment and infrastructure markets.
MRC