Three injured in fire on platform run by Mexican oil firm Pemex

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Three people were injured in a fire on a platform run by Mexican state oil firm Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) on Tuesday, the company said, briefly leading to the evacuation of the rig, said Reuters.

The fire broke out on the Akal-C6 platform in the Sound of Campeche in the southern Gulf of Mexico, Pemex said.

“The incident was confined to the first level on the western side of the platform,” Pemex said on Twitter.

After putting out the fire, the platform was running again within 50 minutes, Pemex said, adding it was operating normally.

As MRC informed previously, Mexican national oil company Pemex is currently processing about 9 percent more crude oil at its domestic refineries than it did in 2017, said Chief Executive Officer Carlos Trevino in April 2018.

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

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,724,670 tonnes in the first ten months of 2019, up by 7% year on year. Shipments of all PE grades increased. The estimated PP consumption in the Russian market in January-October 2019 totalled 1,066,520 tonnes, up by 7% year on year. Supply of block copolymers of propylene (PP block copolymer) and homopolymer of propylene (homopolymer PP) increased, demand for statistical copolymers (PP random copolymer) decreased.

Pemex, Mexican Petroleum, is a Mexican state-owned petroleum company. Pemex has a total asset worth of USD415.75 billion, and is the world's second largest non-publicly listed company by total market value, and Latin America's second largest enterprise by annual revenue as of 2009. Company produces such polymers, as polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS).
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Braskem Idesa reached, at the end of 2019, three million tons of polyethylene produced in its petrochemical complex in Nanchital, Veracruz, which began operations three and a half years ago, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

This event is of great importance for the benefits to the national economy and the development of the petrochemical industry in Mexico, especially in a scenario of challenges for the recovery of the production of raw material that supports the industrial growth of the Country.

Some of the successes of this period are:
• Cumulative production represented import substitution and export generation, with an Impact on the currency balance of 3.4 billion dollars since the inauguration of the plant in 2016.
• In 2019 Braskem Idesa launched the first Mexican high-density polyethylene resin (HDPE) with the content of Post-Consumed Recycled Plastics I?m green Recycled, contributing decisively for the polyethylene to be inserted in a circular economy and more sustainable.
• Generated 800 direct and more than 3,000 indirect, permanent and quality jobs, mostly in the southeast of the country.
• Implemented numerous social, health and safety programs in the communities near its operations benefiting more than 5,000 families in the region.
• Boosts the culture of recycling with the creation and support of a Recycling Cooperative in Nanchital, in addition to installing education programs in 24 primary schools in the region and organizing various events with the aim of promoting responsible consumption of plastic and plastic. Care for the environment.
• An important action was the 4 editions of Plastianguis, an environmental education program adopted by the National Association of the Chemical Industry (ANIQ), with 3 events in Nanchital and an edition at the Faculty of Chemistry of the UNAM in CDMX. With this program, more than 10,000 people have been targeted in the separation and recycling of plastics, in addition to having recovered more than 95 tons of waste that were re-incorporated into the value chain to be recycled.
• In November 2018 Braskem Idesa made public its Global commitment to Circular Economy to ensure that 100% of plastic packaging is reused, recycled or recovered until 2040, strengthening an ecosystem within the polyethylene value chain, generating opportunities and solutions with their customers.

"We are delighted to have reached 3 million tons of polyethylene since our complex opened," said Roberto Velasco, Industrial Director of Braskem Idesa. “This shows that Mexico can compete successfully in an international scenario in the petrochemical sector, and deliver attractive results for shareholders, financial market, community and other interested parties. "

The polyethylene produced is an important raw material used throughout the economy, such as agriculture, packaging, construction and infrastructure, hygiene and cleaning, chemicals, automotive, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, among others.

The chemical and petrochemical industry is essential for the country's economy. With the production achieved, Braskem Idesa reaffirms its commitment to continue generating quality jobs and economic development for Mexico and will continue in the constant search for solutions for the development of the entire petrochemical sector together with the other participants, such as suppliers, customers, government and society.

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

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,724,670 tonnes in the first ten months of 2019, up by 7% year on year. Shipments of all PE grades increased. The estimated PP consumption in the Russian market in January-October 2019 totalled 1,066,520 tonnes, up by 7% year on year. Supply of block copolymers of propylene (PP block copolymer) and homopolymer of propylene (homopolymer PP) increased, demand for statistical copolymers (PP random copolymer) decreased.

Braskem S.A. produces petrochemicals and generates electricity. The Company produces ethylene, propylene, benzene, toluene, xylenes, butadiene, butene, isoprene, dicyclopentediene, MTBE, caprolactam, ammonium sulfate, cyclohexene, polyethylene theraphtalat, polyethylene, and polyvinyl chloride (PVC).
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Chevron Australia has announced a USD1million donation to Australian Red Cross to support their disaster relief and recovery efforts for the current bushfires across Australia, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The donation will assist Australian Red Cross in providing support such as emergency grants to people who have lost their homes or whose homes are uninhabitable, specialist personnel in recovery centres and facilitating wellbeing and outreach activity.

The funding will also provide support to community events in bushfire-affected communities and assist households and communities prepare for bushfires and other natural disasters.

Chevron Australia managing director Al Williams said many communities across Australia had felt the severe impact of the bushfire disaster.

"Our thoughts are with the impacted families and emergency personnel fighting the fires and contributing to the recovery effort," Williams said.

"Chevron Australia is committed to supporting Australian communities, particularly in times of need." The donation will be directed to the Australian Red Cross’ Disaster Relief and Recovery Fund.

In addition to this contribution, Chevron Australia will be matching employee contributions to Australian Red Cross and will be providing employees currently volunteering in the firefighting efforts with full leave entitlements.

Chevron is one of the world's leading integrated energy companies and through its Australian subsidiaries, has been present in Australia for more than 60 years. With the ingenuity and commitment of thousands of workers, Chevron Australia operates the Gorgon and Wheatstone natural gas facilities; manages its equal one-sixth interest in the North West Shelf Venture; operates Australia’s largest onshore oilfield on Barrow Island; and is a significant investor in exploration.

In December 2019, Chevron Australia Downstream Pty Ltd, announced it had signed a conditional Share Sale Agreement with Puma Energy Asia Pacific B.V. to acquire all shares and equity interests of Puma Energy (Australia) Holdings Pty Ltd which holds assets including a network of company-owned and retailer-owned service stations across Australia.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,724,670 tonnes in the first ten months of 2019, up by 7% year on year. Shipments of all PE grades increased. The estimated PP consumption in the Russian market in January-October 2019 totalled 1,066,520 tonnes, up by 7% year on year. Supply of block copolymers of propylene (PP block copolymer) and homopolymer of propylene (homopolymer PP) increased, demand for statistical copolymers (PP random copolymer) decreased.

Headquartered in San Ramon, California, Chevron Corporation is the the second-largest integrated energy company in the United States and among the largest corporations in the world. Chevron is involved in upstream activities including exploration and production, downstream activities including refining, marketing and transportation, and advanced energy technology. Chevron is also invested in power generation and gasification processes.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- PetroChina's subsidiary refinery, Dalian Petrochemical Corp, plans to have a major turnaround in April-May of 2020, four industry sources told Reuters, reported Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The maintenance is scheduled to start from late March or early April and will last for around one and a half months, the sources said.

The 410,000 barrels-per-day (bpd) plant in the northeast Chinese port city of Dalian, PetroChina's biggest refinery, is linked to Russia's East Siberia Pacific Ocean (ESPO) pipeline and is China's largest processor of the pipeline ESPO blend crude.

PetroChina did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Russian state oil giant Rosneft supplies 30 million tonnes of oil annually, or 600,000 bpd, via the pipeline to China under a term contract.

According to two sources familiar with the matter, pipeline crude supplies from Russia will be slightly lower in April-May 2020 as a result of the maintenance.

PetroChina may divert the ESPO blend flows to other plants in the region such as Liaoyang and Jilin, which are also linked to the pipeline, a third source said.

As MRC wrote previously, Sichuan Petrochemical (part of PetroChina) undertook an emergency shutdown at its naphtha cracker in Sichuan province of China on July 11, 2018 owing to a gas leak at its natural gas supply pipeline. Further details on duration of the outage could not be ascertained. Located at Sichuan province of China, the cracker has an ethylene capacity of 800,000 mt/year.

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

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,724,670 tonnes in the first ten months of 2019, up by 7% year on year. Shipments of all PE grades increased. The estimated PP consumption in the Russian market in January-October 2019 totalled 1,066,520 tonnes, up by 7% year on year. Supply of block copolymers of propylene (PP block copolymer) and homopolymer of propylene (homopolymer PP) increased, demand for statistical copolymers (PP random copolymer) decreased.

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) -- Libya's oil infrastructure has once again found itself in the crosshairs of the country's prolonged civil conflict between the UN-backed Government of National Accord and the self-styled Libyan National Army, as per S&P Global.

The country's 120,000 b/d Zawiya refinery was the target of an airstrike on 27 December, 2019, and state-owned National Oil Corporation (NOC) confirmed that sites near the oil storage facility operated by the Zawiya refinery were hit by a bomb on Friday.

A source close to the matter said, however, that operations at the refinery were not affected by the strikes in late December.

NOC said the airstrike targeted a storage warehouse west of Zawiya refinery gate but no casualties were reported.

Sources told S&P Global Platts that the airstrikes were carried out by the LNA as it is making its way to capture western parts of Libya like Zawiya, Tripoli and Misrata which are still not under its control.

"Targeting the refinery is a war crime. If the refinery is damaged it will deprive vital facilities including hospitals, and power and desalination plants of fuel," NOC chairman Mustafa Sanalla said.

"It will require additional gasoline and diesel imports, costing the Libyan people tens or hundreds of millions of dollars. The repetition of these absurd actions will lead to human and material losses and environmental disasters."

Oil infrastructure in western Libya is a key risk, especially the town of Zawiya, which is home to a 300,000 b/d export terminal and a 120,000 b/d refinery, along with Sabratha, where the Mellitah gas and condensate terminal is located. In late-November, Libya's El Feel field in the southwest of the country was briefly shut due to military action around the facility.

Political tensions are ratcheting up in Libya. Despite a protracted conflict in the North African country, production remains high, though supply disruptions could reappear.

The UN-backed Government of National Accord has called for Turkish military troops to assist it in the battle against the self-styled Libyan National Army, which has now entered into its ninth month.

Libya's fragile peace, which has seen oil production recover to above 1 million b/d, could soon end. Analysts believe there could be several clashes between LNA and various rivals groups and militias including forces loyal to the UN-backed Government of National Accord which could spill to the country's lucrative oil and gas sector.

Almost all of Libya's key oil terminals and infrastructure, especially those in the east of the country, are already controlled by General Khalifa Haftar's LNA.

The country's oil industry has been at the mercy of groups vying for control of valuable assets, with armed attacks on key pipelines and production facilities since the 2011 civil war.

NOC also renewed its call to all warring parties to stay away from its sites, and not to harm the only source of income for the Libyans.

Libyan crude production averaged 1.05 million b/d this year, according to Platts estimates, compared to 950,000 b/d and 810,000 b/d in 2018 and 2017 respectively.
MRC