Chinese tariffs on US oil would disrupt USD1 billion monthly business

MOSCOW (MRC) -- China's threat to impose duties on U.S. oil imports will hit a business that has soared in the last two years, and which is now worth almost USD1 billion per month, reported Reuters.

In an escalating spat over the United States' trade deficit with most of its major trading partners, including China, U.S. President Donald Trump said last week he was pushing ahead with hefty tariffs on $50 billion of Chinese imports, starting on July 6.

China said Friday it would retaliate by slapping duties on several American commodities, including oil.

Investors expect the spat to come at the expense of U.S. oil firms, pulling down the share prices of ExxonMobil and Chevron by 1 to 2 percent since Friday, while U.S. crude oil prices fell by around 5 percent.

"This escalation of the trade war is dangerous for oil prices," said Stephen Innes, head of trading for Asia/Pacific at futures brokerage OANDA in Singapore.

"Let's hope cooler heads prevail, but I'm not overly optimistic," he added.

The dispute between the United States and China comes at a pivotal time for oil markets.

Following a year and a half of voluntary supply cuts led by the Middle East-dominated Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), as well as the non-OPEC producer Russia, oil markets have tightened, pushing up prices.

The potential drop-off in American oil exports to China would benefit other producers, especially from OPEC and Russia.

The OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia and Russia indicated on Friday they would loosen their supply restraint and were starting to raise exports.

A cut in Chinese purchases of U.S. oil may also benefit Iran's sales, which Washington is trying to curb with new sanctions it announced in May.

"The Chinese may just replace some of the American oil with Iranian crude," said John Driscoll, director of consultancy JTD Energy Services.

"China isn't intimidated by the threat of U.S. sanctions. They haven't been in the past. So in this diplomatic spat, they might just replace U.S. crude with Iranian oil. That would obviously infuriate Trump," he said.

China's aggressive riposte to Trump took some in the industry by surprise.

U.S. crude exports to China have been rising sharply, thanks to a production surge in the past three years that was a welcome alternative to make up for the cut in supplies from OPEC and Russia.

"We're caught by surprise that crude oil is on the list," said an official with a Chinese state oil major, asking not to be named as he was not authorized to speak to media.

"We were actually preparing to raise imports according to an earlier government line," he added, referring to a Beijing policy enacted earlier this year to help reduce the U.S. trade deficit with China.

U.S. oil exports, which have been surging thanks to a sharp increase in production in the past three years, were seen as a viable alternative to make up for the cut in supplies from OPEC and Russia.

Shipping data in Thomson Reuters Eikon shows that U.S. crude oil shipments to China have soared in value recently, jumping from just USD100 million per month in early 2017 to almost USD1 billion per month currently.

The threatened tariff would make U.S. oil more expensive versus supplies from other regions, including the Middle East and Russia, and likely disrupt a business that has soared recently.

"With Trump's politics, we're in a world of re-aligning alliances. China will not just swallow U.S. tariffs," said Driscoll.

"This is tit-for-tat petroleum diplomacy," he added. "The OPEC/non-OPEC cartel is the big beneficiary of all this oil diplomacy, as it will squeeze global spare oil capacity and likely push up crude prices."
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KBR awarded FEED plus EPC option contract from Arkema

MOSCOW (MRC) -- KBR, Inc. has announced it has been working on the Front End Engineering and Design (FEED) to double the sulfur derivatives production capacities at Arkema's Beaumont, Texas site, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

KBR has been leading the FEED from its Houston Operations Center and the on-going effort is expected to be completed in Q3 2018 with Final Investment Decision expected in Q4 2018. KBR will then have the opportunity to provide detailed engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services for the facility.

"This significant award demonstrates KBR's integrated engineering, procurement and construction offerings, from the front end loading, through detailed design, to full construction services for the entire project," said Farhan Mujib, President, Hydrocarbons Services Americas. "I am delighted for this opportunity to further KBR's new and growing partnership with Arkema, and look forward to further supporting Arkema on this important project."

For more than 40 years, KBR has designed, constructed and maintained hundreds of chemical plants across the globe.

As MRC wrote before, in March 2017, Arkema completed the sale to INEOS of its 50% stake in Oxochimie, their oxo alcohols manufacturing joint venture, and of the associated business. The impact of this divestment on the group’s annual sales represented some EUR40 million. With this operation, Arkema continues to implement its divestment program.

Arkema is a leading European supplier of chlorochemicals and PVC. Kynar and Kynar Flex are registered trademarks of Arkema Inc.
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INEOS Oxide announces an expansion of Dipropylene Glycol (DPG) capacity

MOSCOW (MRC) -- INEOS Oxide announces that it is progressing plans to expand Dipropylene Glycol (DPG) capacity at its site in Koln Germany, as per the company's press release.

The company confirmed that it has started the Front End Engineering Design (FEED) and expects to complete the engineering studies during the course of 2018.

Currently construction of the plant is expected to start in 2019 with start-up planned for early 2020.

"This is an important project for INEOS’ propylene oxide and glycol business", said Santiago Ciruelos, Business Manager for Propylene Oxide/Propylene Gylcols. "We have seen significant increased demand for DPG from our customers and we are excited to find opportunities to support their growth."

Dipropylene glycol is used as a solvent and scent carrier in the fragrance and laundry industries, as well as a component of speciality plasticisers and unsaturated polyester resins. INEOS manufacture DPG today as part of its propylene oxide and glycol portfolio.
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MOL Group enters into a partnership with INOVACAT

MOSCOW (MRC) – MOL Group entered into a strategic partnership with INOVACAT, a Dutch technology innovator in the refining and petrochemical industries, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The cooperation is expected to further upscale and commercializes INOVACAT’s breakthrough GASOLFINTM technology that converts naphtha into propylene, butylene and BTX (benzene, toluene, and xylene), while supporting MOL’s strategic objective to become a leading chemical company in Central Eastern Europe.

MOL Group will support the next stages of the development program of INOVACAT and will investigate different options for the implementation of GASOLFINTM in its production facilities. This patented technology delivers propylene yields up to 45% depending on the feedstock, can convert any light straight run naphtha including pentanes and is fully flexible on product output without a catalyst change-over. It is also at least 30% more energy efficient than comparable conventional processes, with CO2 emissions being at least 25% lower.

Through its cost-leading, drop-in technology INOVACAT enables any refiner or petrochemical company to fully integrate their operations for maximum profitability and flexibility, providing them with a competitive advantage in their markets.

"A main challenge of the MOL 2030 Strategy is to increase production of value-added products while reducing the production of fuels over the next 15 years. We are investigating technical solutions to develop our existing refining and petrochemical asset base, but we are also very interested in new technologies like INOVACAT’s GASOLFINTM, that can potentially significantly help us meet our goal." - said David Pullan, VP Group Downstream Technology & Development.

"We are looking forward to working in partnership with MOL to provide them with our very competitive GASOLFINTM technology. This will enable MOL to convert their lower-value naphtha into propylene, butylene and BTX in a flexible and capital-efficient way." - commented Niels van Buuren, CEO INOVACAT.

As MOL Group’s 2030 transformational strategy aims to diversify the company away from fossil-based motor fuels, it is continuously looking for new innovative technologies that increase the flexibility and strengthen its footprint in the petrochemicals business. By 2030, MOL plans to increase its non-fuel production in refining from the current 30% to 50% of total output, which will be done mostly through increasing feedstock transfer to chemicals. In order to reach its strategic goals, MOL plans to invest around USD 4.5 billion into its petrochemical segment by 2030, focusing mainly on the extension of the propylene value chain in the next five years.
MRC

Clariant inaugurates new additives production facilities in China

MOSCOW (MRC) --Clariant, a world leader in specialty chemicals, has announced the official opening of two new, fully-owned additives facilities at its site in Zhenjiang, China, said the producer in its press release.

This completes a multi-million CHF investment originally announced last year and puts Clariant’s Additives business in China on track to further expand its offering of customized, high-end solutions for the plastics, coatings & ink industries.

"This completed investment in the Zhenjiang Economic and Technological Development Zone marks another milestone in our commitment to expand capability and capacity in China, one of the most important strategic markets for Clariant. We are pursuing a dedicated strategy aimed at increasing and sharpening the focus on China. I am proud to see this being executed successfully and am excited about its benefits going forward", said Christian Kohlpaintner, member of Clariant's Executive Committee, at the opening ceremony.

The newly opened facilities are dedicated to the production of Ceridust micronized waxes and AddWorks synergistic additive solutions, both of which are used in various applications across the plastics, coatings and ink industries. Clariant ‘s Additives business is already a partner of choice for producers in these industries and the additional local production capacity will allow Clariant to provide more tailored solutions at shortened lead times. Such tailored solutions are a key component in continuing to expand Clariant’s China sales, as they fulfill the demand for environmentally compatible and safe products as outlined in China's 13th Five Year Plan and the industrial policy 'Made in China 2025', while allowing Clariant to differentiate itself in the market environment.

Stephan Lynen, Head of Clariant’s Business Unit Additives, told the audience: "We already have a strong focus on China, with our additives for plastics, coatings, and consumer industries". "With the new investment and our enhanced innovation capabilities, our focus on this market is being strengthened further. These two fully-owned production facilities complement the company’s long-standing regional network of commercial and technical support not only for China, but for the whole of Asia. We will continue to support the sustainable growth in this region."

As MRC reported earlier, in June 2016, Clariant inaugurated its new production plant for water-based pigment preparations in Mexico. The new plant located in Santa Clara doubles Clariant’s Mexico annual production capacity for water-based pigment preparations and enhances its ability to serve customers across North and Latin America.

Clariant AG is a Swiss chemical company and a world leader in the production of specialty chemicals for the textile, printing, mining and metallurgical industries. It is engaged in processing crude oil products in pigments, plastics and paints. Clariant India has local masterbatch production activities at Rania, Kalol and Nandesari (Gujarat) and Vashere (Maharashtra) sites in India.
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