EPS imports to Ukraine remained in Jan-Sep 2019 at the level of last year

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Overall imports of expandable polystyrene (EPS) to the Ukrainian market remained in the first nine months of 2019 at the last year's level, totalling 27,300 tonnes, according to MRC's DataScope report.

Russian material accounted for 49% (13,500 tonnes) of the total shipments in the first three quarters of 2019, compared to 60% (16,300 tonnes) a year earlier. Chinese EPS shipments reached 38% (10,400 tonnes) over the stated period, compared to 29% (7,900 tonnes) in January-May 2018.

September EPS imports into Ukraine were 3,900 tonnes versus 3,400 tonnes a month earlier and 3,800 tonnes in September 2018.

The share of Russian material dropped to 46% (1,800 tonnes) last month from 50% (1,700 tonnes) a month earlier. The share of Chinese shipments rose to 38% (1,480 tonnes) in September from 26% (870 tonnes) in August.

MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Overall imports of polyethylene (PE) into Belarus grew by 2.2% year on year in the first eight months of 2019, reaching 87,400 tonnes. Only high density polyethylene (HDPE) accounted for the increase in shipments, according to MRC's DataScope report.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics of Belarus, PE imports to Belarus rose slightly in August 2019 to 12,300 tonnes from 12,100 tonnes a month earlier. Overall PE imports totalled 87,400 tonnes in January-August 2019, compared to 85,500 tonnes a year earlier. Demand for linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) subsided significantly, whereas demand for imported HDPE increased.

The structure of PE imports to Belarus by grades looked the following way over the stated period.

August 2019 total low density polyethylene (LDPE) imports dropped to 3,300 tonnes from 3,600 tonnes a month earlier, local companies reduced their purchasing in Russia. Overall imports of this PE grade into Belarus totalled 26,800 tonnes in the first eight months of 2019, which virtually corresponded to the last year's figure.

August HDPE imports were 7,200 tonnes, compared to 7,400 tonnes a month earlier. Local companies reduced their purchasing of film grade PE in Ukraine. Thus, HDPE imports totalled about 44,700 tonnes in January-August 2019, up by 21.3% year on year.

Overall LLDPE imports reached 15,800 tonnes in January-August 2019, whereas this figure was 21,900 tonnes a year earlier.

MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- PetroChina Guangdong Petrochemical Company has selected Honeywell UOP to build the world's largest single-train paraxylene unit at its new integrated petrochemical complex in Jieyang, Guangdong province, reported S&P Global with reference to Honeywell's statement Thursday.

The new light desorbent parex aromatics complex will be able to produce 2.6 million mt/year of PX, using sulfolane, isomar, tatoray and olefin removal processes.

The Chinese major will also use heavy oil processing technology from Honeywell UOP with an annual crude processing capacity of 20 million mt/year.

Other units include a 3.7 million mt/year hydrocracking unit as well as two continuous catalytic reforming platforming process units, or reformers, each with the capacity of 3 million mt/year, the statement said.

Trial operations at the refining complex are expected to start in October 2021, while trial operation at the petrochemical units will begin two months later.

The complex also includes a 1.2 million mt/year naphtha cracker and high density and low density polyethylene (HDPE and LDPE), polypropylene (PP), styrene monomer (SM) and butadiene.

As MRC wrote before, in August 2019, W. R. Grace & Co., the leading independent supplier of polyolefin catalyst technology and polypropylene (PP) process technology, licensed its UNIPOL PP Process Technology to PetroChina Guangdong Petrochemical Company Limited. Located in Jieyang, Guangdong province, China, the new facility is slated to be completed in 2023 and will produce 500 KTA of PP. This will be the largest single-line UNIPOL PP unit in China and will produce homopolymer, random copolymer, and impact copolymer resins.

PX is a feedstock for the production of purified terephthalic acid (PTA). PTA is used to produce polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which, in its turn, is used in the manufacturing of plastic bottles, films, packaging containers, in the textile and food industries.

According to MRC's DataScope report, Chinese bottle grade PET deliveries to Russia increased 34% in the first eight months of 2019 to 95,600 tonnes. China accounted for 90% of the total imports, compared to 85% a year earlier.
August imports of material from China decreased by 41% to 7,600 tonnes from 12,800 tonnes in July. Jiangsu Sanfangxiang, Yisheng, Wankai and Sinopec were the leading Chinese suppliersof material to the Russian market.

PetroChina Company Limited, is a Chinese oil and gas company and is the listed arm of state-owned China National Petroleum Corporation, headquartered in Dongcheng District, Beijing. It is China's biggest oil producer.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) - Import deliveries of injection moulded PET chips to the Belarusian market increased by 18% in eight months of this year and reached 15,800 tonnes compared to 13,400 tonnes in January-August last year, said MRC DataScope.

August imports of material into Belarus decreased by 29% and amounted to 1,500 tonnes compared to 2,200 tonnes in August last year, in July of the current supply amounted to 2,000 tonnes.

The main supplier is Russia with an import share of 97%. August imports of material from Russian decreased by 25% to 1,500 tonnes against 2,000 tonnes in July.

Import deliveries of injection moulded PET chips to the Belarusian market increased by 27% in seven months of this year and reached 14,250 tonnes compared to 11,240 tonnes in January-July last year.

July imports of material into Belarus decreased by 6% and amounted to 2,040 tonnes compared to 2,180 tonnes in July last year, in June of the current supply amounted to 1,760 tonnes.

MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) - Export deliveries of injection moulding PET chips from Belarus in January-August increased by 40% compared to the same period last year and amounted to 10,000 tonnes against 7,800 tonnes year on year, according to MRC DataScope.

Exports of injection moulding PET in August from Belarus decreased by 41% to 1,000 tonnes from 1,800 tonnes in July. There were no practically exports of PET from the country last August.

Deliveries to Russia amounted to 43% (4,700 tonnes) in January-August from the total exports against a share of 67% (5,200 tonnes) in the same period last year. The share of exports to Russia from Belarus in August reached 59% (600 tonnes), in July it amounted to 29% (500 tonnes).

Export deliveries of injection moulding PET chips from Belarus in January-July increased by 28% compared to the same period last year and amounted to 9,940 tonnes against 7,760 tonnes year on year.

At the same time, export of injection moulding PET from the country in July almost doubled - from 1,010 tonnes to 1,840 tonnes. In July of the previous year, exports shipments of PET chips were 710 tonnes.
MRC