Transneft halts domestic oil product pipeline after spill

MOSCOW (MRC) — Russian pipeline monopoly Transneft on Monday said it had stopped pumping oil products such as diesel through one of its lines after discovering signs of an oil spill, as per Reuters.

The company said the spill had occurred due to "criminal tapping into a major oil product pipeline which pumps diesel fuel."

Signs of the spill were discovered on the Novki-Ryazan pipeline, some 200 km southeast of Moscow. The company did not say how large the spill was or when pumping would resume.

Transneft said it would fulfil its obligations to clients and ship diesel volumes in full.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Trinseo, a global materials company and manufacturer of plastics, latex binders and synthetic rubber, has confirmed the successful start-up of its new Magnum acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) production line at its manufacturing facility in Zhangjiagang, China, reported GV.

The new ABS unit is based on mass polymerization technology, which delivers greater product stability and advanced properties. Trinseo will begin selling ABS from the plant during this quarter.

"Production of Magnum ABS in China is an important milestone for Trinseo and the Asia Pacific market," noted Tim Stedman, senior vice president and business president of Basic Plastics & Feedstocks. "We are delivering on our promise at Trinseo of providing our customers with a differentiated ABS product compared to other competitive resins produced in China today."

As MRC informed before, Trinseo and its affiliate companies in Europe have raised prices for all polystyrene (PS), polycarbonate (PC), acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) and acrylonitrile-styrene copolymer (SAN) grades. Effective December 1, 2017, or as existing contract terms allow, the contract and spot prices for the products listed below increased as follows:

- STYRON general purpose polystyrene grades (GPPS) - by EUR95 per metric ton;
- STYRON and STYRON A-TECH high impact polystyrene grades (HIPS) - by EUR95 per metric ton;
- CALIBRE Polycarbonate Resins - by EUR200 per metric ton;
- MAGNUM ABS resins - by EUR60 per metric ton;
- TYRIL SAN resins - by EUR85 per metric ton.

Trinseo is a global materials company and manufacturer of plastics, latex and rubber. Trinseo's technology is used by customers in industries such as home appliances, automotive, building & construction, carpet, consumer electronics, consumer goods, electrical & lighting, medical, packaging, paper & paperboard, rubber goods and tires. Formerly known as Styron, Trinseo completed its renaming process in 1Q 2015. Trinseo had approximately USD3.7 billion in net sales in 2016, with 15 manufacturing sites around the world, and nearly 2,200 employees.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- SIBUR has launched a terephthalic acid production upgrade at the POLIEF Blagoveshchensk site to expand its annual capacity to 350,000 tonnes. The project seeks to improve the site’s production efficiency and environmental safety, as per SIBUR's press-release.

Terephthalic acid is used to produce polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a basic material for the production of modern polymer packaging for mineral water, dairy products, juices, sunflower oil, and products of the textile, medical and other industries. The Russian terephthalic acid market is undersupplied and the production upgrade at SIBUR’s Blagoveshchensk site will help to substitute a major part of imports. The project is scheduled for completion in 2019.

Design documents were approved by the General Board of State Expert Review (Glavgosexpertiza). The general designer is GSE-Giprokauchuk, a Russian design institute. Russian contractors will be engaged for construction and commissioning works.

Eleven existing production facilities will be upgraded. The project is designed to renovate 150 units of core production equipment, and most of the ancillary equipment, thus enhancing its industrial safety, reliability and efficiency. The site’s atmospheric emissions are expected to shrink twofold thanks to the construction of a modern gas catalytic oxidiser and the upgrade of all gas emissions treatment systems. Transition to rotary pressure filters will translate into 1.5 times lower industrial wastewater discharges from the terephthalic acid production. In addition, the production upgrade will virtually prevent excessive evaporation into the atmosphere resulting from a significant release of heat during terephthalic acid synthesis. After the reconstruction, vapour will go through cooling systems to return to the process flow, improving the site’s energy efficiency multifold.

"The investment project at the Blagoveshchensk site seeks to meet the increasing demand from the food industry. It is also an important step of our production upgrade strategy intended to maximise energy efficiency and environmental safety of our facilities, said Dmitry Konov, Chairman of SIBUR's Management Board.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- SABIC, a global leader in the chemical industry announced today the start-up of its new Polypropylene (PP) extrusion facility in Geleen, The Netherlands, as per company's press release.

This new extrusion line adopts state-of-the-art process technology to produce SABIC PP products and the next generation PP copolymers and underlines the company’s drive to provide advanced materials that can support customers developing new lightweight applications in industries such as packaging, appliances, automotive, healthcare and help them reduce energy consumption in their process manufacturing.

In line with SABIC’s strategic commitment to customer-driven innovation, this highly automated facility will provide new polymer solutions to meet customer needs for changing market requirements by bringing enhancements in its products by delivering "Chemistry that Matters".

"Our new PP extrusion facility is an excellent example of how SABIC is delivering on its promise to provide customers with advanced material technologies they need to be successful," said Sjoerd Zuidema, Director of Polypropylene Business Europe at SABIC. "By providing high-quality, high-performance materials for ever evolving industry requirements, we are opening up new possibilities and helping our customers reduce energy consumption by lowering processing temperatures and shortening cycle times."

Across industry, there is an increasing need for material solutions that are sustainable, cost-efficient and compliant with ever-tougher regulations. At the same time, they must provide increased process efficiency, while delivering improved functionality. "At SABIC, we are relentlessly pursuing cutting-edge technologies, both in production and new material development. Our new investment will open up opportunities to create more efficient, higher performing products that can generate sustainable solutions for us and for our customers’ long-term success,” said Lada Kurelec, Global Business Director Polypropylene at SABIC.

The new PP extrusion facility will be located next to the existing polymerization plant in Geleen where SABIC has a full-scale plant and the Global Technology Center for Europe. This new investment is an important step in growing and developing the company’s capabilities in the region, where SABIC has solid expertise in polyolefin developments from all aspects: catalyst, process, material and application.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Lotte Versalis Elastomers has recently inaugurated a new integrated industrial complex for the production of elastomers in Yeosu, South Korea, according to GV.

The launch was attended by the local authorities, the Ambassador of Italy to Korea and major customers.

The new plants of Lotte Versalis Elastomers, a 50:50 joint venture between Versalis (Eni) and petrochemical company Lotte Chemical, have been built in a record time of 26 months and in conformity with sustainability principles. According to Eni, this achievement is part of the company's strategy to transform its chemical business also through international development.

The joint venture, established in 2013 with the aim of targeting growth in the Asian elastomers market, uses Versalis’ technology, industrial expertise and commercial network, as well as Lotte Chemical’s site integration, which ensures the availability of feedstocks and industrial facilities. The industrial complex has a nameplate capacity of 200,000 t/y of elastomers (EPDM, S-SBR, BR). The production streams are targeted to premium application segments, mainly tyre and automotive industries, styrenics modification and technical goods, said the company.

"The construction of the first industrial complex in Asia is an important milestone in Versalis’ international development strategy, which leverages valuable proprietary technologies. It also strengthens our leading position in the global elastomers market and other prospects for growth. We are excited to be working on this project with an established partner such as Lotte Chemical. By joining forces, both Versalis and Lotte Chemical are benefitting from important synergies." said Versalis’ CEO, Daniele Ferrari.

Versalis is present in the Asia-Pacific region through its commercial units in Shanghai, Qingdao, Mumbai and Singapore.
MRC