Petkim eyes maintenance at Aliaga Cracker

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Petkim, part of SOCAR, is likely to unertake a planned shutdown at its naphtha cracker in Aliaga, according to Apic-online.

A Polymerupdate source in Turkey informed that the company has planned to shut the cracker for a turnaround in the second half of October 2018. The cracker is likely to remain under maintenance for around 3-4 weeks.

Located at Aliaga in Turkey, the cracker has an ethylene production capacity of 585,000 mt/year and propylene production capacity of 240,000 mt/year.

As MRC informed before, Petkim shut down its cracker in Aliaga for unplanned maintenance from 9 to 24-25 March, 2018.

Petkim is a sole manufacturer of plastic packages, fabrics, detergents, and other petrochemical products in Turkey. By the end of 2015 Petkim’s assets increased by 44 percent as compared to 2014. Its net profit stood at 639.2 million liras in 2015.
MRC

PE production in Russia rose by 4% in Jan-Apr

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Russia's production of polyethylene (PE) increased in the first four months of 2018 by 4% year on year to 618,600 tonnes. Output of high density polyethylene (HDPE) and low density polyethylene (LDPE) increased, according to MRC's ScanPlast report.


April total PE production dropped to 151,800 tonnes, whereas this figure reached 158,600 tonnes a month earlier. The decrease in the output was mainly caused by the shutdown for maintenance at Kazanorgsintez's LDPE production. Overall PE production reached 618,000 tonnes in January-April 2018, compared to 594,300 tonnes a year earlier. LDPE and HDPE production increased, whereas output of linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) remained the level of 2017.

The structure of PE production by grades looked the following way over the stated period.


April HDPE production grew to 92,500 tonnes from 80,800 tonnes a month earlier, Nizhnekamskneftekhim resumed its production after a long break. Russian plants' overall HDPE output reached 327,900 tonnes in the first four months of 2018, up by 5% year on year.

Last month's LDPE production was 55,000 tonnes, compared to 57,500 tonnes in March, Kazanorgsintez reduced its output because of a scheduled maintenance at some of its production capacities. Total LDPE production exceeded 230,800 tonnes over the stated period, up by 4% year on year.

Overall LLDPE output exceeded 60,000 tonnes in the first four months of 2018, which virtually equalled the same figure a year earlier.

mrpclast.com

PVC imports to Ukraine fell by 8% in January-April 2018

MOSCOW (MRC) - Imports of suspension polyvinyl chloride (SPVC) into Ukraine decreased by 8% in the first four months of this year, compared to the same period in 2017 and reached about 25,800 tonnes, according to MRC DataScope.

Last month's SPVC imports to the Ukrainian market fell to 5,300 tonnes from 6,800 tonnes in March. Bad weather and low demand for finished PVC products made local companies reduce raw materials purchases. Overall SPVC imports totalled 25,800 tonnes in January-April 2018, compared to 28,000 tonnes a year earlier, shipments of resin from the USA increased significantly.

Structure of PVC imports into Ukraine over the reported period was as follows.

Last month's imports of US SPVC shrank to 3,900 tonnes from 5,500 tonnes in March. Export prices reached their top in the USA in January-April, and Ukrainian companies reduced their purchasing of North American resin. Imports of North American resin totalled 18,100 tonnes in the first four months of 2018 versus 6,800 tonnes a year earlier.

April shipments of European PVC to the Ukrainian market remained practically at the level of March and were 1,300 tonnes. Such a low level of imports was a result of the high level of export prices in Europe and low demand from Ukrainian converters. Total imports of European PVC into Ukraine were about 6,400 tonnes in the first four months of the year, compared with 15,400 tonnes year on year.
MRC

PVC imports to Belarus rose by 49% in Q1 2018

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Imports of unmixed polyvinyl chloride (PVC) into Belarus increased in the first three months of 2018 by 49% to 8,800 tonnes, according to MRC's DataScope report.


According to the Statistical Committee of Republic of Belarus, in March 2018, local converters maintained the February level of PVC purchasing, despite weak demand for finished products. March imports was 3,100 tonnes.

Thus, imports of unmixed PVC grew in the first three months of 2018 to 8,800 tonnes from 6,000 tonnes a year earlier, with local windows producers accounting for the main increase in demand.

Russian producers with the share of 89% of the Belarusian market were the key suppliers of resin to Belarus in the first quarter. Producers from Germany and Ukraine were the second and third largest suppliers, respectively.
MRC

New GES contract win for WorleyParsons Saudi Arabia

MOSCOW (MRC) -- WorleyParsons has been awarded a general engineering service (GES) contract by Yanbu Aramco Sinopec Refining Company Ltd (YASREF), as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

YASREF operates a full-conversion refinery that covers about 5.2 million square meters in the Yanbu Industrial City in Saudi Arabia. WorleyParsons will deliver engineering and consultancy services for the refinery to optimize the production of YASREF’s facilities.

The services will be provided from WorleyParsons’ offices in Saudi Arabia for a term of three years with an option to extend for a further three years.

“We are pleased to be awarded this contract by YASREF to allow us to continue to support them in optimizing the facilities in the Yanbu Industrial City,” said Andrew Wood, Chief Executive Officer of WorleyParsons
MRC