Hengli to conduct trial production on Phase II PP plant in late November

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Zhejiang Hengli Petrochemical is ready to launch its Phase II PP plant by end of November 2019, completing both phases of the newly constructed petrochemical complex, reported CommoPlast with reference to market sources.

The Phase II PP unit has an annual capacity of 400,000 tons/year and would rely on spot propylene for the trial period while waiting for the new PDH unit to come online.

Hengli started up the 450,000 tons/year Phase I PP plant in May 2019 and at the moment, spot cargoes from this unit are widely available in the domestic ground. The producer is also offering BOPP cargoes to the Indonesia market, sources said.

As MRC informed before, in May 2018, INVISTA’s technology and licensing group, INVISTA Performance Technologies (IPT), and Hengli Petrochemical (Dalian) Co.,Ltd. (Hengli) reached an agreement to license INVISTA’s latest purified terephthalic acid (PTA) process technology for Hengli’s fourth PTA line. Hengli’s first three PTA lines, the first of which began operation in 2012, also utilize INVISTA’s technology and have a combined capacity of 6.6 million metric tonnes per year. The fourth line will have a design capacity of 2.5 million metric tonnes per year and will be installed at Changxing Island, Liaoning Province of China.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, 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

Ukraine reduces imports of Nizhnekamskneftekhim GPPS and HIPS in ten months 2019 by 25%

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Imports of Nizhnekamskneftekhim's high impact polystyrene (HIPS) and general purpose polystyrene (GPPS) to Ukraine decreased in January-October 2019 by 25% year on year to 10,400 tonnes, according to MRC's DataScope report.

This figure was at 13,900 tonnes in the first ten months of 2018.
Nizhnekamskneftekhim's material accounted for 51% in the overall structure of imports to the Ukrainian market for the first ten months of 2019, compared to 67% in January-October 2018.

However, October imports of material rose by 45% from September 2019 to 1,200 tonnes versus 800 tonnes. This figure was also at 1,200 tonnes in October 2018.

Overall imports of this polystyrene grade into the country decreased in the fist ten months of 2019 by 2% year on year to 20,500 tonnes from 20,800 tonnes a year earlier.
MRC

EPS imports to Ukraine down by 1% in Jan-Oct 2019

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Imports of expandable polystyrene (EPS) into Ukraine dropped in the first ten months of 2019 by 1% year on year, totalling 30,100 tonnes, according to MRC's DataScope report.

This figure was 30,500 tonnes in January-October 2018.


Russian material accounted for 49% (15,000 tonnes) of the total shipments in the first ten months of 2019, compared to 58% (17,800 tonnes) a year earlier. Chinese EPS shipments reached 38% (11,300 tonnes) over the stated period, compared to 28% (8,700 tonnes) in January-October 2018.

October EPS imports into Ukraine were 2,900 tonnes versus 3,900 tonnes a month earlier and 3,400 tonnes in October 2018.

The share of Russian material grew to 54% (1,500 tonnes) last month from 46% (1,800 tonnes) a month earlier. The share of Chinese shipments dropped to 33% (900 tonnes) in October from 38% (1,500 tonnes) in September.

MRC

Imports of Ineos Styrolution GPPS to Russia doubled in Jan-Oct 2019

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Ineos Styrolution's general purpose polystyrene (GPPS) imports into Russia increased in the first ten months of 2019 by 2 times year on year to 10,600 tonnes, according to ICIS-MRC Price report.

This figure was 4,900 tonnes in January-October 2018.

Ineos Styrolution is the largest GPPS supplier to Russia.

European material accounted for 45% of the total GPPS shipments over the stated period versus 30% in the first ten months of 2018.

However, October Styrolution's GPPS shipments to the Russian market decreased by more than 2 times to 700 tonnes from 1,500 tonnes a month earlier, the company's imports into the country were 700 tonnes in October 2018.
MRC

ABS imports to Russia drop by 2% in Jan-Oct 2019

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Overall imports of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) to the Russian market fell in the first ten months of 2019 by 2% year on year to 28,000 tonnes, according to MRC's DataScope report.

This figure was 28,600 tonnes in January-October 2018.

South Korean company LG Chem accounted for about 39% of the total ABS imports. Styrolution and Trinseo shipped the bulk of European ABS. They accounted for 12% each in the total shipments.

October ABS imports to Russia dropped by 4% year on year to 3,500 tonnes from 3,600 tonnes in October 2018. Imports of material into the country were 2,600 tonnes in September 2019.
MRC