PVC exports from Russia rose by 42% in H1 2019, imports up by 10%

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Exports of suspension polyvinyl chloride (SPVC) from Russia totalled 97,300 tonnes in the first half of 2019, up by 42% year on year. Imports also increased by 10% year on year to 13,100 tonnes, according to MRC's DataScope report.


Russian producers have kept fairly high exports of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), even amid the upcoming scheduled shutdowns for maintenance at two major production capacities. Last month's exports of Russian suspension (excluding shipments to the countries of the Customs Union ) were 15,700 tonnes, compared to 12,800 tonnes in May. Thus, overall exports of resin from Russia totalled 97,300 tonnes in the first six months of 2019, compared to 68,500 tonnes a year earlier.

Indian buyers were the main foreign importers of Russian resin this year. Overall sales of resin were 55,200 tonnes over the stated period.


Sufficient supply of PVC from domestic producers, even given high exports and weak demand from converters, led to lower imports in the first three months of the year. But purchases in foreign markets have begun to grow gradually since April.

June SPVC imports were 5,200 tonnes, compared to 2,800 tonnes a month earlier. And if in January-May, Chinese polymer accounted for the bulk of shipments, then in June, Russian companies resumed deliveries from the United States.

Overall imports totalled slightly over 13,100 tonnes over the stated period versus 11,900 tonnes a year earlier.

MRC

DOMO Chemicals renames cfp flexible packaging to DOMO Film Solutions

MOSCOW (MRC) -- DOMO Chemicals, a leading integrated high quality material engineering company, underlines its position as one of the main providers of nylon film solutions in Europe by renaming its business currently known as cfp flexible packaging S.p.A. to DOMO Film Solutions S.p.A., said the company.

The name change is effective immediately. The purpose is to visibly incorporate the company within the DOMO Group brand identity and to clearly indicate its core business and related scope: providing customers with solutions based on more than 40 years of expertise and full upstream integration with the nylon 6 chemical chain.

The company has been part of the DOMO Chemicals Group since July 2014 and has operated a new German BOPA plant since 2018.

Domo Film Solutions has a strong focus on sustainability and innovation of films for flexible packaging and other technical applications. A good example is the launch of its new Nyleen™ brand.

This family of nylon films has a low carbon footprint compared to standard nylon film, according to a comparison between Ecoinvent 3.3 data and an LCA assessment performed by Quantis. Details of the study are available on request

Introducing DOMO Film Solutions, the company’s Managing Director, Attilio Annoni said: “DOMO Film Solutions is committed to the sustainable future of nylon. The introduction of Nyleen™ is only the first step. We want to go further: in the short term, the company will launch the first-ever vertically recycled/recyclable nylon film; the film team is also developing strategic partnerships with the aim of investigating bio-based solutions."

Jani Vuorenpaa – Business Development – Innovation & Sustainability Director added: “Our message to the market is clear: we want to make nylon film environmentally sustainable and we set out to continually improve our production processes, designed to achieve – and maintain – our leadership in low carbon footprint nylon film."
MRC

McDermott awarded sizeable offshore engineering contract by Qatar Petroleum

MOSCOW (MRC) -- McDermott International, Inc. (NYSE: MDR) announced it has been awarded a sizeable* contract by Qatar Petroleum (QP) to carry out front-end engineering and design (FEED) work for offshore wellhead platforms, pipelines and cables associated with the North Field Expansion (NFE) project, said the company.

The scope includes the design of four offshore trunk lines with intra-field pipelines, eight wellhead platforms and power and fiber optic (PFO) subsea cable rings. The FEED contract will be executed from McDermott's Doha offices, with drafting to be executed in Chennai.

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

McDermott defines a sizeable contract as between USD1 million and USD50 million.

McDermott is a premier, fully integrated provider of technology, engineering and construction solutions to the energy industry. For more than a century, customers have trusted McDermott to design and build end-to-end infrastructure and technology solutions to transport and transform oil and gas into the products the world needs today. Our proprietary technologies, integrated expertise and comprehensive solutions deliver certainty, innovation and added value to energy projects around the world. Customers rely on McDermott to deliver certainty to the most complex projects, from concept to commissioning.
MRC

McDermott announces successful startup of worlds largest catalytic dehydrogenation plant

MOSCOW (MRC) -- McDermott International, Inc. announced the recent successful startup of the world's largest catalytic dehydrogenation plant, which is located at Hengli Petrochemical (Dalian) Refinery Co., Ltd.'s site in Liaoning Province, China, and uses McDermott's Lummus CATOFIN® technology, said the company.

This single-train dehydrogenation unit uses CATOFIN catalyst and Heat Generating Material (HGM) from Lummus Technology's catalyst partner, Clariant, to process 500 KTA of propane and 800 KTA of isobutene for the production of propylene and isobutylene. In addition to the technology license, McDermott also provided the process design package, training, and technical support for this plant.

"Lummus CATOFIN technology continues to be the dehydrogenation technology of choice, continually exceeding customer expectations for overall performance," said Leon de Bruyn, Senior Vice President of McDermott's Lummus Technology business. "This technology offers lower capital and operational costs for our customers, combined with unmatched reliability and optimization."

McDermott's Lummus Technology is a leading licensor of proprietary petrochemicals, refining, gasification and gas processing technologies, and a supplier of proprietary catalysts and related engineering. With a heritage spanning more than 100 years, encompassing approximately 3,100 patents and patent applications, Lummus Technology provides one of the industry's most diversified technology portfolios to the hydrocarbon processing sector.
MRC

ARLANXEO seeks to extend global R&D network through strategic collaboration with Dhahran Techno Valley Company in S

MOSCOW (MRC) -- ARLANXEO seeks to extend global R&D network through strategic collaboration with Dhahran Techno Valley Company in Saudi Arabia, said the company.

Collaboration will involve setting up an elastomers-related R&D center in Dhahran Techno Valley, Saudi Arabia
Dhahran Techno Valley Company (DTVC) is a wholly owned company of King Fahd University of Petroleum and Mineral (KFUPM).

ARLANXEO seeks to tap into Dhahran Techno Valley’s expertise and leverage KFUPM’s pool of talented researchers in building an innovative elastomers industry.

Collaboration will build on Saudi Aramco’s broader chemicals growth strategy as a full owner of ARLANXEO.

ARLANXEO today announced the next phase of its growth plans to expand its R&D efforts into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by entering into a collaboration framework with Dhahran Techno Valley Company (DTVC), a company wholly owned by KFUPM, the Kingdom’s foremost academic institution for oil and gas.
MRC