Saudi refinery exports first gasoline barrels to US

MOSCOW (MRC) -- A refinery in Saudi Arabia has shipped its RBOB gasoline to the United States for the first time, a potential precursor for more deliveries to a region where prices are currently at seasonal three-year highs, reported Reuters.

The 400,000 barrels-per-day Jubail Satorp refinery, a joint venture between Saudi Aramco and French company Total, said in its verified Twitter account that it sent the shipment of reformulated blendstock gasoline - commonly called RBOB - to the United States. It did not say whether those barrels had arrived yet, and its exact destination was unclear.

The shipment is unusual because when Satorp was founded in 2008, it was not expected to send RBOB to the United States, as Saudi gasoline demand remained strong, said Robert Campbell, head of oil products research at Energy Aspects in New York.

Satorp was not immediately available for comment.

Motor gasoline inventories in the United States fell to about 239 million barrels in the week to July 6, according to U.S. Energy Department data. Stockpiles were up from the same time last year, when inventories totaled 235.7 million barrels.

Market participants expect the additional supply could slow U.S. inventory drawdowns.

Energy trading companies often route vessels based on favorable spreads for crude oil and products, and right now moving gasoline to the United States is more profitable. But this shipment also could mean demand in Saudi Arabia is weakening, Campbell said.

The shipment suggests that the Americas has become one of the best destinations for surplus gasoline, he added. "It's tough because that means Asia really is quite significantly oversupplied," Campbell said.

Demand in Saudi Arabia has waned as the government has undertaken reforms that have reduced fuel consumption across several sectors, Campbell said.

As MRC wrote before, Satorp (Saudi Aramco Total Refining and Petrochemicals Company) has recently selected Axens to evaluate, develop, and implement an Advanced Process Control (APC) system for its aromatics complex ParamaX producing high purity paraxylene and benzene.
MRC

Carbon Holdings launches USD10.9B world-scale petrochemicals complex in the heartland of Egypt oil and gas industry

MOSCOW (MRC) – Carbon Holdings, a mid-to-downstream petrochemical company and catalyst of industrial development in Egypt, signed 48 key project documents for its USD10.9 billion Tahrir Petrochemicals Company (TPC), officially launching a world-scale petrochemicals complex that, once operational, will help double Egypt’s total exports and create thousands of direct and indirect jobs, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

Senior members of the Egyptian Council of Ministers’ economic team were present for the ceremony, including HE Tarek El Molla, Minister of Petroleum; Admiral Mohab Mameesh, Chairman of the Suez Canal Economic Zone; and Admiral Hisham Abu Senna, Chairman of the Red Sea Ports Authority. Distinguished diplomats present included ambassadors from the United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, and China, as well as chiefs of mission from the United States and Germany.

Participating in the event were senior officials from international finance institutions, including Societe Generale, debt financial adviser, represented by Richad Soundardjee, Group Chief Regional Officer, corporate and Investment Banking, and Lazard, an adviser to Carbon Holdings, represented by Xavier Atieh, Managing Director Head of the Middle East and Africa. Joining them to witness the signing were Abdulla Mazrui, Youssef Al Nowais, Osama Kamal, and Tania Issa from Carbon Holdings' board of directors.

"The message today is clear: Egypt is emerging as an industrial and export powerhouse. We have just made crucial progress towards the establishment of TPC as the centerpiece of a new, global-caliber manufacturing hub,” said Carbon Holdings Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Basil El-Baz. “This vision is to attract investment from global development finance institutions, export finance agencies, and other sophisticated investors. Located in the Suez Canal Economic Zone, in the heartland of the nation’s oil and gas industry, TPC will both drive industrial development and lead export growth. Its $8 billion in projected annual exports will by themselves result in a dramatic increase in Egypt’s total exports, while its output will make it possible for Egyptian manufacturers to make and export a range of products including plastics and packaging, paints and solvents, adhesives, floor coverings, and more.
MRC

Jacobs wins contract from Eastman Chemical

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Jacobs Engineering has won a contract from Eastman Chemical to provide capital construction, maintenance and turnaround services at Eastman sites in Longview, Texas, and Kingsport, Tennessee, said the company.

The contract includes additional maintenance services scope at the Kingsport facility where Jacobs previously provided capital construction services. At the same time, Jacobs will expand its delivery to maintenance and construction at Eastman's Longview facility, it said.

"Our execution approach drives increased productivity while delivering cost efficiencies through resource and program operations synergies," said Jacobs Construction, Maintenance and Turnarounds Senior Vice President and General Manager Stephen Hillier. "This enterprise-wide delivery model allows us to create value for Eastman, which they can use to drive their innovation and sustainability efforts."

Jacobs has been working with Eastman since 2010. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Jacobs leads the global professional services sector delivering solutions for a more connected, sustainable world. With USD15 billion in fiscal 2017 revenue when combined with full-year CH2M revenues and a talent force of more than 77,000, Jacobs provides a full spectrum of services including scientific, technical, professional and construction- and program-management for business, industrial, commercial, government and infrastructure sectors.
MRC

Toray to acquire TenCate Advanced Composites

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Toray Industries, Inc. (headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo) has announced in its press release titled "Toray to Purchase TenCate Advanced Composites Holding B.V." issued on March 15, 2018 that it had reached an agreement with Koninklijke Ten Cate B.V. (headquarters: Netherlands) to purchase the entire share of its subsidiary TenCate Advanced Composites Holding B.V. (headquarters: Netherlands, a Dutch carbon fiber composite material manufacturer), said the producer in its press release.

Following the completion of the discussions with the Works Council, as stipulated by Dutch laws, Toray announced that it concluded the share purchase agreement with KTC on July 8th, 2018.

The completion of the acquisition is based on the premise of receiving approval from the relevant regulatory authorities and Toray plans to announce it once all procedures are completed without delay.

Toray is acquiring the business from Koninklijke Ten Cate BV.

The acquisition is still subject to regulatory approvals.

It was earlier said, Toray Industries, Inc. announced that it decided to enhance the production capacity of polyolefin foam TORAYPEF. It will add a production facility with a capacity of about 2,000 tons a year at its Shiga Plant (Otsu, Shiga Prefecture), which will start operation in October 2019. The move will expand the Toray Group’s TORAYPEF production capacity around the world to 13,000 tons a year.

Toray Industries is a multinational corporation headquartered in Japan that specializes in industrial products centered around technologies in organic synthetic chemistry, polymer chemistry, and biochemistry. Its founding business areas were fibers and textiles, as well as plastics and chemicals. Toray Group Malaysia companies are involved in four main businesses -- polyester fibres, textiles, plastic resins and polyester films.
MRC

Linde and Praxair to win EU antitrust nod for USD83 billion deal

MOSCOW (MRC) - Linde and Praxair will win approval regulatory clearance for their planned USD83 billion merger after pledging to sell Praxair’s assets to boost a Japanese rival in Europe, said Reuters.

German company Linde and U.S. rival Praxair announced their merger plan in June last year, with the aim of ousting French competitor Air Liquide as global leader in gas distribution, but the European Commission opened a full-scale investigation in February.

The Commission warned that the deal could reduce competition in the supply of crucial gases such as oxygen, which has multiple uses, and helium, which is essential for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners.

The EU competition enforcer also worried that high investment costs could deter the entrance of new players in a sector with only four major companies globally.

But Praxair’s offer this month to sell its European assets to Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corp (4091.T) for 5 billion euros will be sufficient to address the European Commission’s concerns, the two sources said.

The assets include Praxair’s industrial gases businesses in Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Britain, and include approximately 2,500 employees.

Both the Commission, which is scheduled to rule on the deal by Aug. 24, and Linde declined to comment.

The companies are also planning to divest assets to a consortium of German gases company Messer Group and funds advised by CVC to secure regulatory clearance in the United States and elsewhere.

MRC