BIAXPLEN sets up petrochemical joint venture with Manucor

MOSCOW (MRC) -- BIAXPLEN and Manucor will share their best practices in terms of R&D, sales and marketing, production, and technical support, said the producer.

Joining efforts with Manucor’s sales team will result in new opportunities in the European markets for BIAXPLEN. In turn, SIBUR will engage PolyLab, its Skolkovo-based R&D centre, to develop new products. Together, the parties expect to create the leading BOPP film producer in Europe.

Marat Falyakhov, Executive Director at BIAXPLEN, commented: "We are happy to announce this transaction with Manucor, one of the leading European BOPP players with excellent relationships with the major end users and converters in Europe, consolidated and strengthened through the years due to the widely recognised quality of its products and its high level of service. This deal is an important milestone in our work on the international market. It will help us expand our European footprint and exchange best practices. We aim to make full use of the potential development opportunities we see in the industry while employing global expertise to deliver innovative products and high-quality service to our customers."

Luigi Scagliotti, CEO at Manucor, added: "We are proud to establish this partnership with BIAXPLEN and SIBUR that will create strong synergies in terms of sales, supplies and know-how. BIAXPLEN is the leading Russian BOPP player and one of the main players in the international BOPP market, while SIBUR is among the most important manufacturers of PP granules in Europe. This transaction will allow Manucor and BIAXPLEN to expand and complete their product portfolio, extend geographic coverage and commercial presence, given the complementary location of the production sites, and expand and share R&D capabilities."

As it was written earlier, in August 2019, BIAXPLEN, a subsidiary of SIBUR Holding, closed the sale of its cast polypropylene film production facility in the Samara Region's Novokuybyshevsk. The disposal of the smaller non-core asset with the capacity of 5 ktpa will allow SIBUR to focus on its large-scale production of BOPP films and grade range expansion.

SIBUR is the leader of the Russian petrochemical industry and one of the largest companies globally in this sector. It has more than 26,000 employees. The Company’s unique vertically integrated business model allows it to create highly competitive products consumed in the chemical, fast moving consumer goods (FMCG), automotive, construction, energy and other industries in 80 countries worldwide.

BIAXPLEN is a subsidiary of SIBUR, a petrochemical company, and Russia's largest BOPP film producer. Its capacity amounts to 180 ktpa across five regions, and its products are exported to 27 countries.

Manucor is a leading European BOPP film producer, with a single production site that is located in Italy and has the capacity of 100 ktpa. Its products are exported to 35 countries.
MRC

EPS imports to Belarus down by 6% in Jan-Jul 2019

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Expandable polystyrene (EPS) imports to the Belarusian market fell in January-July 2019 by 6% year on year to 7,200 tonnes, according to MRC's DataScope report.

1,300 tonnes of EPS were imported to Belarus in July 2019, compared to 1,200 tonnes a year earlier. June 2019 imports of material also were 1,300 tonnes.

EPS shipments from Russia accounted for 62% of the total imports in the first seven months of 2019 or 4,400 tonnes, down by 900 tonnes year on year.

July imports of material from Russia into Belarus fell by 22% year on year to 700 tonnes from 900 tonnes in July 2018, whereas June shipments were at 800 tonnes.
MRC

Vietnamese Binh Son refinery buys first Nigerian crude cargo

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Vietnam’s Binh Son Refining and Petrochemical has bought 1 million barrels of Bonny Light crude in its first-ever import of Nigerian crude, two trade sources and a senior company executive told Reuters.

Binh Son bought the crude cargo in mid-August for delivery in October-November for its 130,000-barrel-per-day Dung Quat refinery, according to the sources, all of whom declined to be named as they were not authorized to speak to the media.

"This is the first batch of crude oil we have imported from Nigeria for the plant,” said the company executive, who declined to reveal further details. "We haven’t decided yet if we will keep importing Nigerian crude in the future."

Binh Son, Vietnam’s first refinery, is stepping up efforts to reduce its dependence on the country’s dwindling domestic crude supply and widen its purchase options.

Vietnam has been relying more on imported crude due to a slowdown in domestic output as its reserves decline at existing fields, and because of China’s increasingly assertive stance in the region hampers offshore exploration.

Vietnam’s crude oil imports for the January-August period more than doubled from a year earlier to 5.57 million tonnes, as its domestic oil output fell 6.9%, official data shows.

Last month, Binh Son’s Vice-CEO Nguyen Van Hoi said the company would import 2 million to 3 million barrels of U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude in the second half of this year for the refinery.

Price levels for West African crude grades like Bonny Light are competitive compared with regional sweet, or low-sulfur, crude grades in the Asian markets, said the two trade sources.

Oil major BP likely sold the cargo to Binh Son, according to other trader sources.

As MRC informed earlier, Binh Son Refining and Petrochemical (BSR) in June 2017 shut its 150,000 tonne/year polypropylene (PP) plant in Quang Ngai province for scheduled maintenance for around 50 days.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, 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.

Binh Son Refining and Petrochemical (BSR) is a subsidiary of state-owned oil firm PetroVietnam.
MRC

PC imports to Belarus rose by 29% in Jan-Jul 2019

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Overall imports of polycarbonate (PC) granules into Belarus grew in the first seven months of 2019 by 29% year on year to 8,200 tonnes, according to MRC's DataScope report.

July PC imports into the country fell by 32% year on year to 900 tonnes from 1,300 tonnes a month earlier. July 2018 imports of material to Belarus were at 800 tonnes.

Spain (33%), the Netherlands (25%) and Lithuania (16%) are the main countries-importers of PC into Belarus. The bulk of the imported material is then delivered to Russia.
MRC

HIPS and GPPS imports to Belarusian market grew by 12% in Jan-Jul 2019

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Overall imports of general purpose polystyrene (GPPS) and high impact polystyrene (HIPS) to Belarus decreased in the first seven months of 2019 by 12% year on year to 21,800 tonnes, according to MRC's DataScope report.

This figure was at 19,500 tonnes in January-July 2018.


GPPS and HIPS imports from Russia accounted for 81% of the total imports in the first seven months of 2019 or 17,600 tonnes, up by 2,300 tonnes a year earlier.

At the same time, July GPPS and HIPS imports into the country grew by 27% year on year to 3,300 tonnes versus 2,600 tonnes a year earlier.

July shipments of material rose by 5% from June 2019 (3,200 tonnes).

July imports of material from Russian into Belarus grew by 58% year on year to 2,800 tonnes from 1,800 tonnes in July 2018, June shipments were at 2,700 tonnes.

MRC