China launches anti-dumping investigation into synthetic rubber product

MOSCOW (MRC) -- China's Commerce Ministry said it is launching an anti-dumping investigation imports of a synthetic rubber product from the United States, South Korea and the European Union following a request from major petrochemical producers, reported Reuters.

The investigation into ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber (EPDM) should be finished by June 19, 2020, but can be extended further under special circumstances, the ministry said in a statement.

The trade measures were launched at the request of Jilin Petrochemical, a unit of China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC), and Shanghai Sinopec Mitsui Elastomers Co. Ltd, the statement said. The companies are top producers of EPDM, a chemical product that is widely used for electric cables and tires. In 2018, the United States sold 105,797 tons of EPDM to China, while imports from South Korea were 53,413 tons. That same year the European Union exported 25,368 tons of the chemical product to China. The data for all three countries was in an application document submitted by the two Chinese companies published on the ministry's website.

Total shipments from the three countries and region account for almost 80% of China's overall EPDM imports, according to the document.

Export prices of EPDM from the US, South Korea and European Union were below the prices of the product in their domestic markets, and the dumping into China had caused substantial damage to the applicants, the document said.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Imports of suspension polyvinyl chloride (SPVC) into Ukraine decreased in the first five months of 2019 by 44% year on year, totalling 18,400 tonnes, according to MRC's DataScope report.

Last month's SPVC imports to the Ukrainian market fell to 2,900 tonnes from 4,200 tonnes in April, local companies reduced their purchasing in foreign markets amid high prices and sufficient supply from the Ukrainian producer. Overall imports of suspension reached 18,400 tonnes in January-May 2019, compared to 32,900 tonnes a year earlier.

European producers with the share of about 65% of the total imports in the first four months of 2019 were the key suppliers of resin to the Ukrainian market. Producers from the USA with the share of about 34% were the second largest suppliers.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Overall imports of polypropylene (PP) to Belarus rose in the first four months of 2019 by 6.3% year on year, totalling slightly over 34,100 tonnes. Exclusively homopolymer of propylene (homopolymer PP) accounted for the increase in demand, according to MRC's DataScope report.

April PP imports to Belarus were 9,500 tonnes, compared to 8,600 tonnes a month earlier, local companies raised their purchasing of homopolymer PP and propylene copolymer in Russia. Overall imports of propylene polymers exceeded 34,100 tonnes in January-April 2019, compared to 32,100 tonnes a year earlier, demand for homopolymer PP increased significantly, whereas demand for propylene copolymers subsided.

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

April imports of homopolymer PP exceeded 6,600 tonnes, compared to 6,000 tonnes a month earlier. Overall imports of homopolymer PP reached 24,000 tonnes in January-April 2019, up by 11.8% year on year. Russian producers with the share of about 86% of the total shipments were the key suppliers.

April imports of propylene copolymers into Belarus were 2,900 tonnes versus 2,600 tonnes a month earlier, local companies increased their procurement of injection moulding statistical copolymers (PP random copolymers) in Russia. Thus, overall imports of propylene copolymers reached 10,100 tonnes in January-April 2019, down by 4.9% year on year.

MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- LyondellBasell, one of the largest plastics, chemicals and refining companies in the world, and Neste, the world's largest producer of renewable diesel from waste and residues, have jointly announced the first parallel production of bio-based polypropylene and bio-based low-density polyethylene (LDPE) at a commercial scale, as per LyondellBasell's press release.

LyondellBasell production team in Wesseling, Germany shows off first batch of bio-polymer made from renewable materials.

The joint project used Neste's renewable hydrocarbons derived from sustainable bio-based raw materials, such as waste and residue oils. The project successfully produced several thousand tonnes of bio-based plastics which are approved for the production of food packaging and being marketed under Circulen and Circulen Plus, the new family of LyondellBasell circular economy product brands.

"LyondellBasell has an innovative spirit that spans decades, and an achievement like this showcases concrete actions we are taking in support of a circular economy," said Richard Roudeix, LyondellBasell Senior Vice President of Olefins and Polyolefins for Europe, Asia and International. "Through the use of renewable resources, we are contributing to the fight against climate change and helping our customers achieve their environmental targets."

"We are excited to enable the plastics industry to introduce more bio-based material into its offering. It is very satisfying to see Neste's renewable hydrocarbons performing perfectly in a commercial scale production of bio-based polymers, providing a drop-in replacement option to fossil materials," said Neste's President and CEO Peter Vanacker. "This pioneering collaboration with LyondellBasell marks a major milestone in the commercialization of Neste's renewable polymers and chemicals business focusing on developing renewable and circular solutions for forward-looking sustainable brands."

This achievement is extraordinary in that it combined Neste's unique renewable feedstock and LyondellBasell's technical capabilities. LyondellBasell's cracker flexibility allowed it to introduce a new renewable feedstock at its Wesseling, Germany site, which was converted directly into bio-based polyethylene and bio-based polypropylene. An independent third party tested the polymer products using carbon tracers and confirmed they contained over 30% renewable content.

LyondellBasell sold some of the renewable products produced in the trial to multiple customers, one of which is Cofresco, a company of the Melitta Group and with brands like Toppits and Albal, Europe's leading supplier of branded products in the field of household film. Cofresco plans to use the Circulen Plus bio-based polyethylene to create sustainable food packaging materials.

As MRC wrote previously, in August 2016, LyondellBasell made the final investment decision to build a high density polyethylene (HDPE) plant on the US Gulf Coast. The plant will have an annual capacity of 1.1 billion pounds (500,000 metric tons) and will be the first commercial plant to employ LyondellBasell's new proprietary Hyperzone PE technology. The start-up of the new plant is scheduled for 2019.

LyondellBasell is one of the largest plastics, chemicals and refining companies in the world. Driven by its 13,000 employees around the globe, LyondellBasell produces materials and products that are key to advancing solutions to modern challenges like enhancing food safety through lightweight and flexible packaging, protecting the purity of water supplies through stronger and more versatile pipes, and improving the safety, comfort and fuel efficiency of many of the cars and trucks on the road. LyondellBasell sells products into approximately 100 countries and is the world's largest licensor of polyolefin technologies.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Kuwait’s state refiner KNPC said on Wednesday that refining operations at its Mina Abdullah oil refinery have been affected by a cut in seawater supply, which is used to cool production units in the plant, reported Reuters.

KNPC said on its official Twitter feed that despite the temporary issue, its oil export operations have not been affected.

As MRC informed earlier, in November 2018, Kuwait Petroleum Co prepared a study to transform its al-Zour refinery into a commercial one to increase its profitability.
MRC