PVC imports to Ukraine fell by 28% in Jan-Oct 2019, exports down by 2%

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Imports of suspension polyvinyl chloride (SPVC) into Ukraine decreased in the first ten months of 2019 by 28% year on year, totalling 41,300 tonnes. Sales of Ukrainian PVC to foreign markets also dropped by 2% year on year, according to a MRC's DataScope report.

Last month's PVC imports into the Ukrainian market rose to 5,900 tonnes from 4,200 tonnes in September, with North American resin accounting for the increase in shipments from major windows producers. Overall SPVC imports reached 41,300 tonnes in January-October 2019, compared to 57,100 tonnes a year earlier.

European producers with the share of about 64% of the total imports were the key suppliers of resin to the Ukrainian market in the first nine months of 2019. Producers from the USA with the share of about 36% were the second largest suppliers.

This year's stronger demand for Ukrainian PVC from the domestic market led to lower exports. About 17,000 tonnes of suspension were shipped to foreign markets in October, whereas this figure was 12,900 tonnes a month earlier. Overall, about 136,400 tonnes of PVC were shipped for export in January-October 2019 versus 139,900 tonnes a year earlier.

MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- MEGlobal announced that its Asian Contract Price (ACP) for monoethylene glycol (MEG) will be USD710/MT CFR Asian main ports for arrival December 2019, said the company.

The December 2019 ACP reflects the short term supply/demand situation in the Asian market.

The price is on a cost-&-freight (CFR) Asia basis.

As MRC informed earlier, MEGlobal nominated its November monoethylene glycol (MEG) Asian Contract Price (ACP) at USD740/tonne, up by USD10/tonne from its October nomination.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PET consumption dropped in September 2019 by 10% year on year, totalling 58,210 tonnes. Overall, 551,320 tonnes of PET was processed in Russia in the first nine months of 2019, up 9% year on year.

MEGlobal is a world leader in the manufacture and marketing of merchant monoethylene glycol and diethylene glycol (EG). Established in July 2004, the company is a joint venture between The Dow Chemical Company and Petrochemical Industries Company of Kuwait and is headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. With approximately 200 employees worldwide, MEGlobal serves customers around the world, and has production facilities in Fort Saskatchewan and Prentiss, Alberta, Canada.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- PBF Energy plans to begin restarting the cat feed hydrotreater at its 190,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) Chalmette, Louisiana, refinery, reported Reuters with reference to sources familiar with plant operations.

PBF continues to raise the production level on the 10,000 bpd Coker 1 that the company restarted last week for the first time in nine years, the sources said.

PBF spokesman Michael Karlovich declined on Monday to discuss operations at the refinery.

PBF continues to raise the production level on the 10,000-bpd Coker 1 that the company restarted last week for the first time in nine years, the sources said on Monday.

The coker was idled in 2010 after an economic recession drove down demand for motor fuels. At the time, the refinery was a joint venture between Exxon Mobil Corp and Petroleos de Venezuela SA, Venezuela’s national oil company.

PBF announced plans to restart the coker in 2018 and said in October the restart was under way.

The hydrotreater uses hydrogen and the catalyst to remove sulfur from feedstock going to the gasoline-producing fluidic catalytic cracking unit.

Cokers convert residual crude oil into either feedstock for motor fuels or petroleum coke, a coal substitute.

As MRC informed before, in September 2019, ExxonMobil announced plans to spend GBP140 million over the next two years in an additional investment program at its Fife ethylene plant (UK), which has a capacity of more than 800,000 t/y.

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

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,589,580 tonnes in the first nine months of 2019, up by 7% year on year. Shipments of all PE grades increased. The estimated PP consumption in the Russian market was 976,790 tonnes in January-September 2019, up by 4% year on year. Shipments of PP block copolymer and homopolymer PP increased.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Zhong Tian He Chuang, a joint venture of Sinopec and China Coal Energy Group, has taken off-stream its low density polyethylene (LDPE) unit owing to a technical glitch, reported Apic-online.

A Polymerupdate source in China informed that the company has undertaken an emergency shutdown at the unit on November 6, 2019. The unit is likely to remain shut for around one week.

Located at Ordos in Inner Mongolia, China, the LDPE unit has a production capacity of 250,000 mt/year.

As MRC wrote before, Zhong Tian He Chuang took off-stream its LDPE unit in Ordos in early-April, 2019 owing to a technical glitch. Further details on duration of an unplanned outage could not be ascertained. Located at Ordos in Inner Mongolia, China, the LDPE unit has a production capacity of 250,000 mt/year.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's September estimated low density polyethylene (LDPE) consumption grew to 47,980 tonnes from 43,390 tonnes a month earlier. PE shipments from Belarus increased significantly, whereas exports decreased. Kazanorgsintez had fully resumed its LDPE production by 24 October after the shutdown for a scheduled turnaround. The estimated LDPE consumption in Russia totalled 429,720 tonnes in the first nine months of 2019, up by 7% year on year. Some producers' LDPE production decreased, whereas imports rose by 16%.

Zhongan United Coal Industry Chemical Co. Ltd. mines, processes, manufactures, and distributes coal products. The company produces brown coal products, bituminous coal products, hard coal products, coking coal products, and other related products. Zhongan United Coal Industry Chemical markets its products throughout China.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Oriental Petrochemical Taiwan (OPTC) is likely to take off-stream its Purified Terephthalic Acid (PTA) unit for a turnaround, according to Apic-online.

A Polymerupdate source in China informed that the company has planned to halt operations at the unit in mid-November, 2019. The unit is expected to resume production in end-November, 2019.

Located at Shanghai in China , the PTA unit has a production capacity of 700,000 mt/year.

As MRC informed before, another China's major PTA producer - Dushan Energy Ltd., a subsidiary of Xinfengming Group Co., Ltd - has partially started up its new 2.2 million mt/year purified terephthalic acid unit at Zhejiang in late October 2019. The unit consists of two trains with 1.1 million mt/year each, and the raw material paraxylene was fed into one of the trains on 30 October morning.

PTA is used to produce polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is used in the manufacturing of plastic bottles, films, packaging containers, in the textile and food industries.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PET consumption dropped in September 2019 by 10% year on year, totalling 58,210 tonnes. Overall, 551,320 tonnes of PET was processed in Russia in the first nine months of 2019, up 9% year on year.
MRC