McDermott awarded large offshore EPCI contract

MOSCOW (MRC) -- McDermott International, Inc. announced a large contract award from Saudi Aramco for engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) services in the Marjan and Zuluf fields, offshore Saudi Arabia, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The contract includes the full suite of EPCI services for the relocation of Control Rooms in Zuluf GOSP-4, Marjan GOSP 2 and 3 including the fabrication of new control rooms, boat landings and new jacket members, as well as the upgrade of all control systems as required.

"McDermott's extensive history with Saudi Aramco and our commitment to the continued growth of Saudi Arabia's energy sector is reflected in this award," said Linh Austin, McDermott's Senior Vice President, Middle East and North Africa. "We have a long track record of executing similar upgrade projects and believe that by working closely with our clients we can offer industry leading solutions which are suited to this evolving market segment."

The project is scheduled to be fully executed from McDermott's Al Khobar office and Dammam fabrication facility, in line with its strategic focus to strengthen In-Kingdom content.

Work on the project will begin immediately and the contract award will be reflected in McDermott's second quarter 2019 backlog.

As MRC wrote before, in December 2018, McDermott International, Inc. announced that it had been awarded a sizeable technology contract by HPCL Rajasthan Refinery Ltd. (HRRL) for the license and basic engineering design of two 490 KTA polypropylene plants in Pachpadra Tehsil, Barmer District, Rajasthan, India.
MRC

Takaya Sugimura is new president of Yushin America

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Robot maker Yushin America Inc. (YAI) has named Takaya Sugimura as its new president, said Canplastics.

He succeeds Michiari Ota, who has finished his five-year tenure as YAI president. Headquartered in Cranston, R.I., YAI is the largest overseas subsidiary of the Japan-based Yushin group.

Sugimura, 49, studied economics at Kansai University of Japan and began his career in 1993 as an accountant for Nidec Corp., one of the top motor manufacturers in Japan. He later joined the Yushin Accounting group in 1996, and from 2008 to 2012 he worked in the U.S. as YAI’s controller, then later as CFO. “[During this time] he guided Yushin America through the Great Economic Recession, managing the staff and helping the business maintain stable growth through 2017,” YAI said in a statement.

After returning from the U.S. to Yushin Japan headquarters, Sugimura lead Yushin Japan’s Internal Audit Office, which YAI called one of the most strategic managerial positions in the entire Yushin Group.

Widely known as “Gus,” Sugimura is ready to take on his new role, YAI said. “To achieve a higher goal or solve a complicated problem, we must gather each talent to one common knowledge base,” Sugimura said. “Two heads are better than one. We will continue to expand and refine our products and services even more to improve our customers’ experience.”
MRC

YNCC completes maintenance at No. 1 steam cracker

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Yeochun Naphtha Cracking Centre (YNCC) has restarted its No. 1 naphtha cracker following a maintenance turnaround, according to Apic-online.

A Polymerupdate source in South Korea, informed that, the company has resumed operations at the cracker on June 21, 2019. The cracker was taken off-stream on May 20, 2019.

Located at Yeosu,South Korea, the cracker has an ethylene capacity of 860,000 mt/year and propylene capacity of 485,000 mt/year.

As MRC informed before, YNCC also has two other crackers at this site. Thus, the production capacity of its No. 2 naphtha cracker in Yeosu is 578,000 tonnes of ethylene per year ant that of its No.3 cracker - 470,000 tonnes of ethylene per year.

South Korea’s Yeochun NCC (YNCC) pyrolyzes naphtha to produce basic feedstock materials for the petrochemical industry. YNCC, a joint venture between South Korean firms Hanwha and Daelim, is a key exporter of ethylene and propylene in the country.
MRC

American Chemistry Council names Christopher Jahn as new president and CEO

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Industry association the American Chemistry Council (ACC) has named Christopher Jahn, president and CEO of the Fertilizer Institute, as its new president and CEO, said Canplastics.

Jahn will succeed outgoing ACC head Cal Dooley, who has led ACC since 2008. Dooley announced his retirement in April, 2018. Jahn will take over the helm of the ACC in late October 2019.

Prior to joining the fertilizer Institute in 2013, Jahn served as president of the National Association of Chemical Distributors for seven years, ACC said in a statement. Earlier in his career he was president of the Contract Services Association. Jahn began his career on Capitol Hill in Washington, including time as chief of staff to U.S. Republican Senator Craig Thomas of Wyoming.

“I look forward to working with the [ACC] membership and the staff team to expand, advance, and cement ACC’s and the industry’s role as a valued public policy partner as we address the world’s sustainability challenges,” Jahn said in the statement.

Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the Plastics Division of the ACC has worked with both the Plastics Industry Association and the Canadian Plastics Industry Association on a range of issues, including forming the North American Plastics Alliance in 2011 in a move to formalize their collaboration on programs and initiatives.
MRC

Russian Kinef refinery to raise primary July output

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Russia’s Kinef oil refinery has postponed July maintenance at a processing facility until August, allowing it to increase primary output by 0.3 million tonnes next month, reported Reuters with reference to two industry sources.

The maintenance is due to be carried out at a processing facility with a daily capacity of 22,860 tonnes.

We remind that, as MRC informed earlier, in H2 May 2019, Russia’s Antipinsky oil refinery said it had filed for bankruptcy, weeks after a London court ordered its assets be frozen in response to a lawsuit from a trading house. The refinery, which has a capacity of 9 million tonnes per year, had halted operations on several occasions in recent months because of a lack of funds to pay for crude oil deliveries.
MRC