Exports gain focus ahead of 'teething' in US ethylene, PE

MOSCOW (MRC) -- The upcoming wave of ethylene and polyethylene expansions in the US will bring a period of difficulty to the industry, and exports have increasingly become part of the solution to ease the transition, LyondellBasell CEO Bob Patel has been reported to have said as per Plastemart.

"Exports will play more prominently going forward," Patel said at World Petrochemical Conference 2017 by IHS Markit. Polyethylene capacity in North America could grow by 4.2 mln mtpa in 2017, based on targets for several planned projects by a number of producers. Additionally, more than 5 mln mtpa of ethylene capacity could come to the US Gulf Coast in 2017 with four new steam crackers slated to come online. LyondellBasell announced at the start of the year the completion of an expansion to its Channelview, Texas, steam cracker, bringing the capacity of that unit to 1.1 mln mtpa.

"There will certainly be some teething along the way until we get to the new normal," Patel said. US production will need to consider exports moving forward, he said. The infrastructure for exports are scalable and will grow, Patel said.

Sunoco Logistics' Mariner East 1 pipeline in Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania, has a propane and ethane shipping capacity of 70,000 bpd. Enterprise Products Partners operates a 200,000 bpd ethane export terminal at Morgan's Point, Texas. Additionally, Enterprise Products has considered an ethylene export terminal for the Morgan's Point, Texas, facility that hosts the ethane export terminal.

"Polyethylene is the most efficient way to move advantaged ethane," Patel said, citing the comparative ease and cost savings in shipping resin pellets as opposed to ethane or ethylene.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Celanese Corporation, a global technology and specialty materials company, has announced price increases on its Hostaform and Celcon polyacetal (POM) grades and GUR ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMW-PE) and GHR high molecular weight polyethylene (VHMW-PE) grades, as per the company's press release.

Effective April 1, 2017, prices will increase as follows, or as contracts otherwise allow:

- Hostaform and Celcon POM - by EUR0.2/kg in Europe and Middle East, by USD0.25/kg in Asia and prices will be increased in the Americas region on a selective basis or as contracts otherwise allow;
- GURUHMW-PE and GHR VHMW-PE - by EUR0.25/kg in Europe and Middle East, by USD0.1/kg in Asia and by USD0.1/kg in Americas.

As MRC informed before, Celanese Corporation will increase list and off-list selling vinylacetate (VAM) prices, effective April 1, 2017 or as contracts otherwise allow, as follows:

- by EUR100/mt - for Europe;
- by USD200/mt - for South America and Mexico;
- by USD0.05/lb - for USA and Canada;
- by USD200/mt - for Middle East and Africa.

Besides, Celanese Corporation will raise the price for emulsions sold in Europe, effective April 1, 2017, or as contracts otherwise allow, as stated below:

- EVA - EUR75/tonne;
- VAM Homopolymers (PVAC) - EUR75/tonne;
- VAM Copolymers - EUR75/tonne;
- Pure Acrylics - EUR120/tonne;
- Styrene Acrylics - EUR120/tonne.

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 7,300 employees worldwide and had 2016 net sales of USD5.4 billion.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Celanese Corporation, a global technology and specialty materials company, has increased list and off-list selling prices for vinyl acetate monomer in Asia in view of recent market conditions, as per the company's press release.

The price increase below was effective 22 March, or as contracts otherwise allow, and was as follows:

- CNY200/tonne - for China;
- USD60/tonne - for Asia outside China.

As MRC wrote previously, Celanese last raised its VAM prices for the Asian region on 7 March, 2017, as stated below:

- CNY200/tonne - for China;
- USD100/tonne - for Asia outside China.

Besides, Celanese Corporation increased March list and off-list selling prices for Ateva EVA polymers. The price increase was USD100 per tonne for shipments to 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 7,300 employees worldwide and had 2016 net sales of USD5.4 billion.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Royal Dutch Shell is in talks with several potential buyers for its refinery outside of San Francisco, but the Anglo-Dutch oil giant is reluctant to part with its last asset in California, three people familiar with the process say, reported Reuters.

The company is in the midst of a massive asset sale, shedding properties from Thailand to the North Sea to pay down debt following its USD54 billion purchase of smaller British rival BG Group last year.

Shell, Europe's largest oil company, has sold around USD15 billion of assets over the past year as part of a planned $30 billion in asset sales to trim debt incurred from the transaction.

Bidders for Shell's 158,000 bpd Martinez refinery, located 30 mi northeast of San Francisco, include PBF Energy and NTR Partners III LLC.

Still, sources familiar with the issue say the company wants to sell for a higher price, with one saying the plant could be valued at about USD900 million.

Shell, which barred potential buyers from hiring advisors during a first round of the auction, has since allowed third parties to review materials related to a sale, according to one person familiar with the negotiations.

Shell declined to comment. PBF referenced its quarterly calls with analysts, where it has said it considers all refining and logistics assets that come on the market, but declined to comment on interest in the specific plant. NTR did not respond to requests for comment.

Shell retained Lazard last year to advise on the overall asset sale program. In the fall, Shell retained Deutsche Bank to find a buyer for the Martinez facility.

As MRC wrote before, in March 2016, Royal Dutch Shell Plc was lining up assets for a USD30 billion divestment program that may extend from the U.S. and Trinidad to India following its record takeover of BG Group Plc.

Royal Dutch Shell, commonly known as Shell, is an Anglo–Dutch multinational oil and gas company headquartered in the Netherlands and incorporated in the United Kingdom.Created by the merger of Royal Dutch Petroleum and UK-based Shell Transport & Trading, it is the fourth largest company in the world as of 2014, in terms of revenue, and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors".
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Arlanxeo, Lanxess and Saudi Aramco's joint venture, has raised its prices for ethylene propylene diene rubber grades (EPDM), as per the company's press release.

In Europe, Middle East and Africa effective as of March 16th, 2017, the price adjustment was up to EUR150 per metric ton; in Latin America effective as of April 1st, 2017 - up to USD150 per metric ton; in NAFTA effective as of April 1st, 2017 - up to USD150 per metric ton.

The measure is the result of the overall market and cost developments of the past months.

Arlanxeo distributes EPDM under the brand name Keltan. EPDM products are used in applications like automotive, building & construction, plastics modification, consumer goods, cable & wire, and tubes.

As MRC wrote before, Arlanxeo has recently raised its prices for Chloroprene rubber and Chloroprene adhesive grades (CR) globally as follows: in Europe, Middle East, Africa, Latin America and Asia the price adjustment per metric ton for CR was up to EUR700 and was effective no later than March 1, 2017; in North America Arlanxeo USA LLC was going to increase prices from March 22, 2017 up to USD770 per metric ton for CR products.

Arlanxeo was established in April 2016 as a joint venture of Lanxess - a world-leading specialty chemicals company based in Cologne, Germany - and Saudi Aramco - a major global energy and chemicals enterprise headquartered in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. The two partners each hold a 50-percent interest in the joint venture. The business operations of ARLANXEO are assigned to the High Performance Elastomers and Tire & Specialty Rubbers business units.
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