PBF Chalmette, Louisiana, refinery restarts hydrotreater

MOSCOW (MRC) -- PBF Energy restarted 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 spokesman Michael Karlovich declined to comment.

The 45,000-bpd cat feed hydrotreater was shut on Oct. 7 for a catalyst change, the sources said. The catalyst change ran about a week over the scheduled time for completion.

Hydrotreaters remove sulfur from motor fuels in compliance with US environmental rules.

As MRC wrote before, PBF continues to raise the production level on the 10,000-bpd Coker 1 that the company restarted on 9-10 November 2019 for the first time in nine years. 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.

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.

PBF Energy Inc. is a petroleum refiner and supplier of unbranded transportation fuels, heating oils, lubricants, petrochemical feedstocks, and other petroleum products. Headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey, the company's refineries include facilities in Chalmette, Louisiana, Toledo, Ohio, Port of Paulsboro in Gibbstown, New Jersey, the Delaware City Refinery in Delaware City, and the former ExxonMobil refinery in Torrance, California. PBF produces a range of products including gasoline, ultra-low-sulfur diesel (ULSD), heating oil, jet fuel, lubricants, petrochemicals and asphalt.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Imports of bottle grade polyethylene terephthalate (PET) from China dropped by 11% year on year to 81,500 tonnes in the ten months of 2019 from 91,700 tonnes a year earlier, according to MRC's DataScope report.

Volumes of PET chips imported from China continue to decline for the fourth consecutive month.

Deliveries of Chinese bottle grade PET to the Ukrainian market fell to the lowest level over the past two years in October and amounted to 3,810 tonnes compared to 10,000 tonnes in October last year and 3,840 tonnes in September this year.

The share of imports from China in the total volume amounted to 35% in September against 33% a month earlier and 78% in September 2018.

The key suppliers of injection moulding Chinese PET chips to the Ukrainian market were producers Dragon, Wankai, Yisheng Petrochemical.

MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Enterprise Products Partners LP launched a binding open season to determine demand for expanded capacity on the Appalachia-to-Texas (ATEX) ethane pipeline, said OGJ.

Enterprise Products Partners LP launched a binding open season to determine demand for expanded capacity on the Appalachia-to-Texas (ATEX) ethane pipeline. The 1,200-mile pipeline transports ethane from the Marcellus-Utica basin of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio to EPP’s NGL storage complex in Mont Belvieu, Tex., with pipeline access to petrochemical plants along the Gulf Coast.

Subject to sufficient customer commitments during the open season, EPP would add up to 50,000 b/d of incremental capacity through a combination of pipeline looping, hydraulic improvements, and modifications to existing infrastructure. The expanded capabilities would be in service by 2022.

As MRC informed earlier, Enterprise Products Partners and LyondellBasell Industries say they have executed long-term contracts to support construction of EPD's second propane dehydrogenation plant at the Mont Belvieu, Tex., complex. Enterprise expects PDH 2 to begin service during the first half of 2023.

As MRC informed earlier, Enterprise Products Partners L.P. and Navigator Holdings Ltd. have announced that construction is now underway on a 50/50 joint venture ethylene export terminal which will be located at Enterprise's Morgan's Point, Texas facility on the Houston Ship Channel. The terminal will have the capacity to export approximately 2.2 billion pounds of ethylene per year.

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) -- Northwest European oil refining margins turned negative, falling to around - USD0.49 a barrel, Reuters calculations showed.

Margins fell to their lowest since October 2013.

A sharp fall in gasoline and fuel oil margins in recent days precipitated the fall, with a relative strength in middle distillates failing to keep overall margins in positive territory, traders said.

"The return of refineries from maintenance has seriously reduced refinery economics, and this is not a sign of strong global oil product demand," consultancy Petromatrix said in a note on Tuesday.

Traders and analysts were expecting that refiners, particularly simple ones that don’t have equipment to upgrade fuel oil into more valuable products, would have to cut runs.

Gunvor Group on Monday said it had shut one of its two crude distillation units at its Rotterdam oil refinery in the Netherlands as it was uneconomical to run.

The unit will be down into next March when the 88,000 barrel-per-day refinery will undergo maintenance.

"The current price evolution indicates that there is not enough demand for the current output of oil products," Petromatrix said.

Even margins for complex refineries have turned negative in recent days, traders said, with crude grades such as Russia’s Urals becoming uneconomic to process.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited (IVL), a global chemical producer, has successfully completed the acquisition of Sinterama S.p.A, a leading manufacturer of polyester automotive interiors and high performance coloured yarns manufacturer, the company announced.

This acquisition elevates IVL’s capacity to deliver comprehensive and innovative solutions in highly specialised applications including coloured polyester yarns for the automotive, furnishing, apparel and technical applications.

The combination of IVL's existing manufacturing capabilities and supply chain with Sinterama's industry-leading portfolio gives IVL added momentum to serve the increasing demand for automotive and home applications.Sinterama has approximately 890 employees working at five production sites in four countries in Italy, Brazil, China and Bulgaria, which is a new market for IVL.

Sinterama holds leading positions in highly specialised applications in Europe, with an excellent reputation and proven technology. Its expertise and network of strategically located facilities will be integrated into IVL’s existing specialities business, thereby creating the industry partner of choice for high-value polyester yarns.

As MRC wrote before, in June 2018, Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited (IVL), a global chemical producer, entered into a joint venture agreement with Dhunseri Petrochem Ltd. (Dhunseri) to acquire its Egyptian Indian Polyester Company S.A.E. (EIPET) PET facility located in Ain Sokhna free trade zone, North West of the Gulf of Suez in Egypt. This plant has a manufacturing capacity of 540,000 tonnes per annum.

As per MRC's DataScope, imports of injection moulding PET chips in Russia increased by 14% in the first ten months of the year compared with the same period a year ago and reached 106,000 tonnes. The same indicator in January-October 2019 amounted to 92,700 tonnes. The share of bottle grade PET imports from China amounted to 90% compared to 86% for the same period last year.

Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited, listed in Thailand (Bloomberg ticker IVL.TB), is one of the world’s leading petrochemicals producers, with a global manufacturing footprint across Africa, Asia, Europe and Americas. The company’s portfolio comprises Integrated PET, Olefins, Fibers, Packaging and Specialty Chemicals. Indorama Ventures products serve major FMCG and Automotive sectors, i.e. Beverages, Hygiene, Personal Care, Tire and Safety segments. Indorama Ventures has approx. 20,000 employees worldwide and consolidated revenue of USD 10.7 billion in 2018.
MRC