LyondellBasell receives five top Safety Awards

MOSCOW (MRC) -- LyondellBasell, one of the world's largest plastics, chemicals and refining companies has announced that it has received five top safety awards from the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM), said the producer in its press release.

The AFPM's Distinguished Safety Awards (DSA) recognize a superior level of personal and process safety performance in the domestic refining and petrochemical manufacturing industries. The awards were announced at the AFPM National Safety Conference in New Orleans.

"At LyondellBasell, we firmly believe that a strong safety culture ultimately delivers stronger operational performance," said Bob Patel, LyondellBasell's CEO. "This award isn't just about a company accomplishment; it's far bigger than that. This is really about our employees going home safely every day. In my view there is no higher priority."

LyondellBasell's Lake Charles Plant in Westlake, La., received the 2016 Distinguished Safety Award, the highest award given by AFPM. The Lake Charles Plant is one of only four in the industry to receive the prestigious award for the year.

The Elite Gold Safety Award, which recognizes facilities with safety performance in the top one percentile, was presented to LyondellBasell's La Porte, Texas, facility, and the Elite Silver Safety Award, which recognizes facilities with safety performance in the top five percent, was presented to the company's Edison, N.J., Tuscola, Ill., and Alvin, Texas, facilities.

The AFPM Safety Awards Program is part of a comprehensive safety program developed by AFPM's Safety and Health Committee to promote accident prevention in the petroleum refining and petrochemical manufacturing industries.

As MRC informed before, in august 2016, LyondellBasell made the final investment decision to build a high density polyethylene (HDPE) plant on the US Gulf Coast. The plant will have an annual capacity of 1.1 billion pounds (500,000 metric tons) and will be the first commercial plant to employ LyondellBasell's new proprietary Hyperzone PE technology. The start-up of the new plant is scheduled for 2019.

LyondellBasell is one of the world's largest plastics, chemical and refining companies. The company manufactures products at 57 sites in 18 countries. LyondellBasell products and technologies are used to make items that improve the quality of life for people around the world including packaging, electronics, automotive parts, home furnishings, construction materials and biofuels.

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Imports of polypropylene (PP) into Ukraine decreased by 6% n the fist four months of 2017 year on year, totalling about 37,100 tonnes. Several grades of PP copolymers accounted for the increase in shipments, according to a MRC's DataScope report.

April PP imports to Ukraine due to the export restrictions from some European and Middle Eastern producers, decreased to 8,700 tonnes against 10,300 tonnes a month earlier. Overall imports of propylene polymers reached 37,100 tonnes in January-April 2017, compared to 39,300 tonnes a year earlier. The main increase occurred for PP block copolymers, while demand for PP random copolymers and homopolymer PP declined.

Structure of PP supplies over the reported period looked as follows.

Ukraine's imports of homopolymer PP dropped to 6,400 tonnes in April, compared with 7,800 tonnes in March. Ukrainian companies faced further restrictions of PP supply from Europe and Middle East. Overall shipments of homopolymer PP reached 28,600 tonnes in the first four months of 2017 versus 30,500 tonnes a year earlier.

April imports of PP block copolymers were about 900 tonnes, compared to 1,100 tonnes a month earlier. The reduction in supply was a result of limited export quotas from European producers. Imports of PP block copolymers into the country were about 3,800 tonnes in January-April, compared with about 3,600 tonnes year on year. Local pipes producers accounted for the greatest increase in demand.

April imports of PP random copolymers remained practically at the level of March and reached 1,200 tonnes as local companies increased supply of pipe PP grades, while purchases of injection moulding PP random copolymers decreased. Overall imports of PP random copolymers reached 4,000 tonnes in January-April, whereas this figure was slightly over 4,500 tonnes a year earlier.

Overall imports of other propylene copolymers were about 770 tonnes over the stated period.

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March PP imports into Belarus grew to 9,400 tonnes from 6,300 tonnes a month earlier, local companies significantly increased their purchasing of injection moulding propylene homopolymer (homopolymer PP) and statistical propylene copolymer (PP random copolymer). Overall imports of propylene polymers reached 22,000 tonnes in January-March 2017, compared to 20,400 tonnes a year earlier. Demand for all PP grades increased, but propylene copolymer accounted for the greatest growth.

The supply structure by PP grades looked the following way over the stated period.

March imports of homopolymer PP to the Belarusian market rose to 6,300 tonnes from 4,200 tonnes a month earlier, with injection moulding homopolymer PP accounting for the main increase in shipments. Overall shipments of homopolymer PP reached 14,700 tonnes in the first three months of 2017 versus 14,100 tonnes a year earlier. Russian producers, with the share of 85% of the total shipments, were the key suppliers.

March imports of propylene copolymers into Belarus grew to 3,100 tonnes from 1,700 tonnes a month earlier. The largest producer of injection moulding packaging raised its purchasing of injection moulding PP random copolymer in Russia. Thus, overall imports of propylene copolymers exceeded 7,200 tonnes in January-March 2017, whereas this figure was 6,200 tonnes a year earlier. Russian producers, with the share of about 73%, were also the main suppliers of propylene copolymers.

MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Ineos has announced that it has agreed to acquire the Dong Oil & Gas Business from DONG Energy A/S for an unconditional payment of USD1.05bn, plus a contingent payment of USD 150 million related to the Fredericia stabilisation plant and a contingent payment of up to USD 100 million subject to the development of the Rosebank field, as per the company's press release.

In acquiring the entire DONG Oil & Gas Business, the deal positions Ineos as a top ten company in the North Sea and the biggest privately owned exploration and production business operating in this energy basin.

DONG Energy’s Oil & Gas business brings with it a good mix of long life and development fields, producing an average of 100,000 boepd (in 2016) in the North Sea, with around 570 million boe of commercial and potential oil and gas reserves in Denmark, Norway and the UK (West of Shetland).

Jim Ratcliffe, INEOS chairman says,"DONG Energy's Oil & Gas Business is a natural fit for INEOS as we continue to expand our Upstream interests. This business is very important to us at this stage of our growth plans and we are delighted with the expertise that comes with it. We have been successful in our petro-chemical businesses, focussing on operating our assets safely, efficiently and reliably and we intend to do the same with our oil & gas assets. We are keen on further growth and already see lots of opportunity within this impressive portfolio when it transfers to Ineos".

On completion, 440 people will transfer to Ineos, working across a portfolio of production, development, exploration and appraisal assets in Denmark, Norway and UK (West of Shetland). The business will form part of Ineos Upstream, a business division of the INEOS Group of Companies.

The strong portfolio of assets is built around three world class fields; Ormen Lange is the largest field in the DONG portfolio and the second largest gas field in Norwegian waters, Laggan-Tormore is a new gas field West of Shetland which came on-stream early 2016 and Syd Arne is a large oil field in Denmark. Along with the existing production the portfolio also features several large scale oil & gas developments in Denmark, Norway and UK (West of Shetland).

This transaction will enable Ineos to significantly expand its trading and shipping activities making it a major trader in the sector.

The acquisition and transfer of ownership is targeted to complete within Q3 2017, subject to the receipt of regulatory and other third party approvals. The Business will be acquired by the Ineos Industries business division.

As MRC informed before, in September 2016, Ineos Enterprises completed the sale of Ineos Styrenics, its Expandable Polystyrene Business (EPS), to Synthos S.A. for EUR80m. The sale of the Styrenics business includes manufacturing sites at Wingles and Ribecourt in Northern France and Breda in the Netherlands.

Ineos Group Limited is a privately owned multinational chemicals company consisting of 15 standalone business units, headquartered in Rolle, Switzerland and with its registered office in Lyndhurst, United Kingdom. It is the fourth largest chemicals company in the world measured by revenues (after BASF, Dow Chemical and LyondellBasell) and the largest privately owned company in the United Kingdom.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- The government through Environment Cabinet secretary Judi Wakhungu has announced that it will be extending the ban on plastic bags use to plastic bottles in the continued attempts to curb environmental pollution, said Mwakilishi.

The move will require water bottlers and manufacturers of soft drinks and juices to explore alternative packaging materials.

The government gazetted a blanket ban on use of plastic bags two months ago which is scheduled to take effect in September.

"We don’t have a choice. Phase one (of the ban) is the plastic carrier bags and the flat bags. But going forward we will also have to extend this to the plastic bottles because again if you look at most of our drainage they are clogged by the plastic bottles as well," Prof Wakhungu said in an interview.

The gazette notice published in mid-March forced a ban on the use, manufacture and importation of all plastic bags used either for commercial and household purposes beginning September.

However the ban has not been welcomed by the Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) who described the ban as “illegal and rushed".According to the KAM chief executive Phyllis Wakiaga, a total of 176 plastic manufacturing companies will be closed leading to laying off of more than 60,000 employees.

But Wakhungu dismissed the figure as an "exaggeration," adding that though the government had not established how many will lose their jobs, the ban still stands.
MRC