PP imports into Ukraine rose by 8% in 2018

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Overall polypropylene (PP) imports to the Ukrainian market totalled about 132,400 tonnes last year, up by 8% year on year. Demand for all PP grades increased, as per MRC's DataScope report.

December PP imports into Ukraine dropped to 9,600 tonnes from 11,600 tonnes a month earlier, with propylene homopolymers (homopolymer PP) accounting for the main decrease in shipments. Overall PP imports reached 132,400 tonnes in 2018 versus 123,100 tonnes a year earlier. Demand for all PP grades increased, with statistical copolymers of propylene (PP random copolymers) accounting for the greatest growth.

The supply structure by PP grades looked the following way over the stated period.

December imports of homopolymer PP to the Ukrainian market decreased to 7,400 tonnes from 9,000 tonnes a month earlier, local companies reduced their purchasing of homopolymer PP raffia in Saudi Arabia. Overall shipments of homopolymer PP reached 100,600 tonnes last year versus 94,300 tonnes a year earlier.

Last month's imports of block propylene copolymers (PP block copolymers) were 1,200 tonnes, compared to 1,100 tonnes in November. Demand for injection moulding propylene copolymers grew slightly from local companies. 13,300 tonnes of PP block copolymers were imported over the stated period, whereas this figure was 12,900 tonnes a year earlier.

December imports of PP random copolymers did not exceed 800 tonnes versus 1,300 tonnes a month earlier, demand for PP subsided from producers of pipes and injection moulding products. Overall imports of PP random copolymers exceeded 16,000 tonnes in 2018, whereas this figure was 13,800 tonnes a year earlier.

Total imports of other propylene copolymers were 2,400 tonnes over the stated period.

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MOSCOW (MRC) -- French oil group Total will approve plans to proceed with the Ikike project in Nigeria in the coming months, and also aims to expand its liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in the country, reported Reuters with reference to CEO Patrick Pouyanne's statement.

Total is one of the strongest players in the African oil sector, holding more proven reserves on the continent than any of the other top global oil companies.

The 60,000 barrels-per-day (bpd) Ikike project is one of several projects the group has earmarked in Nigeria for a final investment decision, including the 70,000 bpd deepwater Preowei project, which would help Total increase its oil production.

"There is a huge potential in Nigeria, it is probably the most prolific country in west Africa in terms of oil and gas and it is time to launch new projects and we are working on many of them," Pouyanne told journalists.

He was speaking on the sidelines of a meeting of Nigerian and French businesses in Paris.

This month, Total started production at the Egina oilfield off the coast of Nigeria.

"On the same area as Egina, we have Preowei, which could be connected to Egina, We are working on that," Pouyanne said.

Total also planned to expand its Nigerian LNG project this year, he said.

"The market is very good today to do that, it is a very interesting project and the partners are in line to develop it... 2019 should be the year of expanding Nigeria LNG," he added.

Pouyanne called on Nigeria to issue new exploration licences, saying the country's oil and gas sector had been dormant in recent years in terms of exploration and new projects due to uncertainties and the ongoing discussions over Nigeria's oil industry regulation.

The last round of exploration licenses tenders was in 2011. "I hope the new government that will come after the election will launch new tenders for awarding new exploration licenses," he said.

Nigerians will vote on Feb. 16 in a presidential election with incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari seeking a second term.

Total is also developing Uganda's first oilfield with China's CNOOC and Pouyanne said the company would make a final investment decision this year on whether to start production. Uganda has said it expects to start producing oil in 2021.

Pouyanne said he recently told Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni that Total would also be willing to take a stake in a refinery to process crude from the field which is due to be built and operational by 2023.

Uganda signed a deal with a consortium, including a subsidiary of General Electric, to build and operate a 60,000 barrel per day refinery that will cost USD3 billion-USD4 billion.

As MRC informed before, in December 2017, Total inaugurated the new units at its Antwerp integrated refining & petrochemicals platform, which have progressively started up in the last few months. This event marks the completion of the upgrade program launched in 2013 of one of the largest and most efficient integrated refining & petrochemicals platforms in Europe. Thus, the company has invested more than EUR1 B to further improve the competitiveness of this major site located in the heart of Europe's main markets.

Total S.A. is a French multinational oil and gas company and one of the six "Supermajor" oil companies in the world with business in Europe, the United States, the Middle East and Asia. The company's petrochemical products cover two main groups: base chemicals and the consumer polymers (polyethylene, polypropylene and polystyrene) that are derived from them.
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MOSCOW (MRC) - The government of Curacao has suspended its selection of a new operator for the Caribbean nation’s 335,000-barrel-per-day Isla refinery until a probe into corruption allegations involving the search has concluded, officials said, as per Reuters.

Isla refinery, which has operated under a contract with Venezuelan state-run oil firm PDVSA that lasts through December, began a search for a PDVSA replacement after a dispute last year between the Venezuelan firm and U.S. oil producer ConocoPhillips left the plant idled amid asset seizure attempts.

A memorandum of understanding with PDVSA’s replacement was expected to be signed and disclosed in mid-January, a refinery executive said last month.

Negotiations to choose a new operator, however, “are still in status quo pending the finalization of the internal investigation at Refineria di Korsou,” the company said in an email to Reuters, using the formal name for the refinery.

A spokesperson was not available to immediately elaborate on the statement. In December, Houston-based Motiva Enterprises was chosen as the “preferred bidder,” after an 8-month review, according to local media. Isla resumed operations earlier this year after an 8-month paralysis.

An investigation into the operator bidding process was opened last November after the refinery’s supervisory board received unspecified allegations about the bidding.

The board put the plant’s managing director and two other employees on temporary leave during the probe, which has delayed the selection.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Norway’s Tjeldbergodden methanol plant, Europe’s largest, has restarted operations after being shut by a fire in December, reported Reuters with reference to operator Equinor's statement.

Both the methanol plant, which accounts for about a quarter of Europe’s methanol production, and the air gas plant at the same industrial complex were back in normal operations, it added.

Equinor holds an 82-percent stake in the methanol plant, while ConocoPhillips owns the rest.

As MRC informed before, in March 2018, Norway’s Statoil announced plans to change its name to Equinor, reflecting its commitment to become a broad energy company rather than one focused only on oil.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) - Nearly a month after Mexico's new president launched an ambitious plan to stamp out growing fuel theft, the strategy meant to crush corruption and organized crime is under heightened scrutiny, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

On Friday, at least 79 people died from a powerful explosion at a gasoline pipeline in central Mexico that had been punctured by fuel thieves. Relatives of some of the victims said fuel shortages stemming from the government's crackdown led people to risk their lives filling plastic containers from the leak.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who took office in December, said the tragedy has not weakened his faith in the plan. Since late December, he has closed six major pipelines where criminal gangs and other thieves have siphoned off stolen fuel worth billions of dollars. Lopez Obrador is moving distribution to trucks, but that switch has caused delivery delays and long lines at gas stations, threatening to crimp the economy and hurt his popularity if shortages persist. The veteran leftist won a landslide election victory on promises to root out endemic corruption, strengthen ailing national oil company Pemex and ensure stable fuel prices.

Mexico's fast-growing motor fuel market is a juicy target for thieves. It is the world's sixth biggest, according to energy ministry data, featuring a total daily demand of nearly 1.18 million barrels of gasoline and diesel. The Mexican government's lack of attention has allowed organized groups to open clandestine taps along Pemex's main pipelines. Internal complicity at Pemex refineries and terminals have also opened the door for theft of entire trucks loaded with fuel. Fuel stolen from Pemex's infrastructure mostly ends in the hands of the same retailers that legally sell Pemex gasoline and diesel.
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