PP imports to Belarus up by 3.6% in H1 2017

June imports of homopolymer PP practically remained steady, compared with the May figures - 5,500 tonnes. Overall shipments of homopolymer PP exceeded 31,100 tonnes in the first six months of 2017 versus 30,400 tonnes a year earlier. The key suppliers of homopolymer PP were Russian producers, with their share in the total supply around 86%.

June imports of propylene copolymers to Belarus exceeded 3,000 tonnes, compared to 2,700 tonnes a month earlier, purchasing of PP in Russia increased. Thus, overall imports of propylene copolymers reached 15,300 tonnes in January-June 2017, whereas this figure was 14,500 tonnes a year earlier.


MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Russian oil major Rosneft and partners closed their USD12.9 B purchase of Indian refiner Essar Oil on Monday, giving them a foothold in one of the world's fastest growing oil users, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The deal is the first foray by Rosneft into Asia's refining sector and the biggest foreign acquisition ever in India, as well as Russia's largest outbound one. It also deepens Russian and Indian economic ties that stretch back to the Soviet era.

Kremlin-controlled Rosneft and its partners—global trader Trafigura and Russian fund UCP—purchased a 98.26% stake in Essar Oil in a deal announced in October. The rest of Essar will be held by retail investors.

"(Rosneft) has entered the high-potential and fast-growing Asia Pacific market," Rosneft’s Chief Executive Officer Igor Sechin said in a statement.

The deal will enable Rosneft to improve the efficiency of fuel supplies to other nations in Asia, he added.

India's oil demand is expected to rise by an average of 5.9% a year through 2020, among the fastest in the world, according to a report last month by Goldman Sachs.

To capitalise on that, Rosneft and its partners are acquiring Essar's oil refinery in Vadinar that can process 400,000 bpd of crude. The refinery is in the western Indian state of Gujarat and the deal includes a port, a power plant and 3,500 fuel stations.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) — At least one person died and five others suffered burns after a pipeline exploded during an illegal tap in the eastern Mexican state of Veracruz, state-owned oil company Pemex and state emergency services said on Saturday, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The fire had been brought under control, state emergency services said on Twitter.

Fuel thieves regularly tap Pemex pipelines, stealing millions of liters of fuel in high-risk maneuvers that can often be deadly.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) — Kazakhstan may lift a ban on the export of gasoline and diesel fuel a year earlier than planned to help local refineries increase profits after spending heavily on equipment upgrades, Energy Minister Kanat Bozumbayev said on Monday, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

Under an agreement with Russia, Kazakhstan in 2014 banned exports of so-called white products, including gasoline and diesel fuel, until Jan. 1, 2019. In exchange, the former Soviet republic receives duty-free fuel from Russia.

Bozumbayev told reporters the government planned to initiate talks with Russia about lifting the ban from January 2018 as that would help refineries repay "loans taken out to finance costly upgrades."

Kazakhstan has three main oil refineries and after the upgrades they could boost output of gasoline and diesel fuel to a level exceeding domestic demand by 1.5 MMtpy–2.0 MMtpy for each product, Bozumbayev said.

The Atyray and Pavlodar refineries plan to complete equipment upgrades in the second half of this year, while the Shymkent refinery aims to finish upgrades next year.

Kazakhstan imported 609,000 t of gasoline from Russia by rail in January–July this year, down from 640,000 t a year earlier. However, the Central Asian nation also imported 168,000 t of diesel fuel and 179,000 t of airplane fuel from Russia, up from 81,000 t and 112,000 t respectively.

MRC