Imports of Iranian PS to Russia rose significantly in August

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Shipments of general purpose polystyrene (GPPS) and high impact polystyrene (HIPS) from Iran to Russia increased in August almost by four times from the previous month, totalling 920 tonnes versus 240 tonnes in July, according to MRC's DataScope report.


Imports from Iran were 420 tonnes in August 2018.

Producers Artan Petro and Petropaak with the share of 62% and 35%, respectively, accounted for the bulk of shipments from Iran.

At present, Iran is the third largest country supplying polystyrene (PS) to Russia after Belgium and South Korea. Thus, the share of Iranian material was 14% in January-August 2019, whereas that of Belgium was 37% and of South Korean - 22%.

PS shipments from Iran to the Russian market grew by 89% year on year in January-August 2019 to 5,040 tonnes from 2,670 tonnes a year earlier.

MRC

August GPPS and HIPS production fell in Russia by 19%

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Russian plants reduced their output of general purpose polystyrene (GPPS) and high impact polystyrene (HIPS) in August 2019 by 19% year on year to 27,280 tonnes, according to MRC's ScanPlast report.

This figure was at 33,5400 tonnes in August 2018.

Russia's August GPPS and HIPS production decreased by 15% from July 2019.

Last month's reduction in Russia's polystyrene (PS) production was mainly caused by a long launch of the standard output at Gazprom neftekhim Salavat after a period of shutdown for maintenance and by the shutdown for a turnaround at Penoplex's plant in Kirishi from 5 August to 13-14 September.


PS production slightly increased in the Russian market in January-August 2019. Thus, the increase was 1% year on year: 251,690 tonnes versus 248,150 tonnes a year earlier.

MRC

PVC imports to Ukraine fell by 36% in Jan-Aug 2019, exports down by 7%

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Imports of suspension polyvinyl chloride (SPVC) into Ukraine decreased in the first eight months of 2019 by 36% year on year, totalling 31,300 tonnes. At the same time, sales of Ukrainian PVC to foreign markets dropped by 7% year on year, according to a MRC's DataScope report.

Last month's SPVC imports to the Ukrainian market fell to 4,300 tonnes from 6,000 tonnes in July, with US resin accounting for the main decrease in shipments. Overall SPVC imports reached 31,300 tonnes in January-August 2019, compared to 49,100 tonnes a year earlier.

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


This year's stronger demand for Ukrainian PVC from the domestic market led to lower exports. 14,000 tonnes of suspension were shipped to foreign markets in August, whereas this figure was 12,400 tonnes a month earlier. Overall, 106,400 tonnes of PVC were shipped for export in January-August 2019 versus 115,000 tonnes a year earlier.

MRC

Shell operates its refinery in Deer Park normally amid tropical storm

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Royal Dutch Shell Plc’s 340,000 bpd joint-venture Deer Park, Texas, refinery had no problems overnight and restarted a distillate hydrotreater, reported Reuters with reference to sources familiar with plant operations.

Refineries in the Houston area remained in operation through the first night of Tropical Storm Imelda’s passage across southeast Texas on 18 September, sources familiar with plant operations said on Wednesday.

Imelda, downgraded to a tropical depression, was slowly moving north with its center located in Houston’s northwestern suburbs, but the storm was dumping rain as far east as Lake Charles, Louisiana.

Eight refineries in Houston, Texas City and Sweeny can process a combined 2.5 million bpd of crude oil, equal to 13.6% of national refining capacity.

As MRC wrote before, operations were stable last Thursday morning at Royal Dutch Shell Plc’s 340,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) joint-venture refinery in Deer Park, Texas, after the upper Houston Ship Channel was closed by protesters from Greenpeace USA. The Deer Park refinery is a 50-50 joint-venture between Shell and Mexico’s national oil company Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex). Shell is the managing partner of the joint-venture. Shell has three crackers at Deer Park site with a combined ethylene capacity of 1,67 mln per year and petrochemical plants.

Ethylene and propylene are feedstocks for producing polyethylene (PE) and polyprolypele (PP).

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,255,800 tonnes in the first seven months of 2019, up by 9% year on year. Shipments of all PE grades increased. At the same time, the estimated PP consumption in the Russian market was 796,120 tonnes in January-July 2019, up by 11% year on year. Shipments of PP block copolymer and homopolymer PP increased.

Royal Dutch Shell plc is an Anglo-Dutch multinational oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the biggest company in the world in terms of revenue and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors". Shell is vertically integrated and is active in every area of the oil and gas industry, including exploration and production, refining, distribution and marketing, petrochemicals, power generation and trading.
MRC

Major fire broke out at Haldia Petrochemical cracker in India

MOSCOW (MRC) -- A major fire broke out at the naphtha cracker unit of the Haldia Petrochemicals Limited here on Friday injuring 15 people, reported The Times of India with reference to a senior police officer's statement.

The blaze that broke out at 11.15 am, was yet to be brought under control, Purba Medinipur Superintendent of Police V Solomon Nesakumar said.

The injured have been rushed to a nearby hospital, he said.

The condition of three of the injured is "very serious", while the rest have suffered "moderate burns" the SP said.
Some of the injured were being brought to Kolkata for treatment, he said.

The police officer could not say whether workers are trapped inside the unit.
District Magistrate Partha Ghosh said, "I am not aware of the incident. I am busy with other things."

As MRC informed before, Haldia Petrochemicals Ltd (HPL) resumed production at its cracker and downstream plants following a maintenance turnaround on 9-10 June, 2018. The complex was shut on May 10, 2018 for a period of about 20-25 days. Located at Haldia in the eastern Indian state of west Bengal, the complex can produce 700,000 mt/year of ethylene and 350,000 mt/year of propylene and provides feedstock to a 330,000 mt/year high density PE plant, a 370,000 mt/year HDPE/linear low PE swing plant and a 350,000 mt/year polypropylene unit.

Ethylene and propylene are feedstocks for producing polyethylene (PE) and polyprolypele (PP).

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,255,800 tonnes in the first seven months of 2019, up by 9% year on year. Shipments of all PE grades increased. At the same time, the estimated PP consumption in the Russian market was 796,120 tonnes in January-July 2019, up by 11% year on year. Shipments of PP block copolymer and homopolymer PP increased.

Haldia Petrochemicals Ltd is a modern naphtha based petrochemical complex at Haldia, West Bengal, India. Haldia has played the role of a catalyst in emergence of more than 500 downstream processing industries in West Bengal with a capacity to process more than 3,50,000 TPA of polymers, among which are polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP)