ExxonMobil says its French Fos refinery shipments disrupted due to strike

MOSCOW (MRC) -- ExxonMobil France said that its Fos refinery was experiencing some problems shipping products because of picketing by striking union workers, but its Port Jerome-Gravenchon refinery was operating normally, reported Reuters.

A spokeswoman said the 140,0000 barrels-per-day Fos-sur-Mer plant, near Marseille had been able to ship output overnight.

At the 240,000 bpd Port Jerome refinery near Le Havre, a limited number of staff had joined the national protest against pension reforms on Tuesday afternoon, but on Wednesday morning the facility was operating and shipping its output, she added.

Separately, the Environment Ministry said in a statement that production at France’s oil refineries was continuing and that supply to petrol stations was at a normal level.

As MRC informed before, ExxonMobil's cracker at Notre Dame de Gravenchon, France, had an "unexpected stoppage" on Friday, 6 December, following a technical failure this October. Thus, an electric fire Saturday morning, 19 October, 2019, on the ExxonMobil facilities in Notre-Dame-de-Gravenchon (Seine Maritime) resulted in a plume of smoke, below the regulatory thresholds, which could remain visible for several days.

Besides, ExxonMobil halted polyethylene (PE) production at its site in Notre Dame de Gravenchon, France, last week due to commercial reasons, without providing further details. The site houses 500,000 tons/year of linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) plant, including metallocene linear low density polyethylene (MLLDPE). This plant resumed operations on 19 December 2019.

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

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,904,410 tonnes in the first eleven months of 2019, up by 6% year on year. Shipments of all PE grades increased. PE shipments increased from both domestic producers and foreign suppliers. The PP consumption in the Russian market was 1,161,830 tonnes in January-November 2019, up by 7% year on year. Deliveries of all grades of propylene polymers increased, with the homopolymer PP segment accounting for the largest increase.

ExxonMobil is the largest non-government owned company in the energy industry and produces about 3% of the world's oil and about 2% of the world's energy.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- LG Chem, a South Korean petrochemical major, has reduced its operational rates of its cracker to around 90-95% starting January 2020 due to weaker economic fundamentals, reported CommoPlast with reference to market sources.

Based in Daesan, South Korea, the cracker is able to produce 1.27 million tons/year of ethylene and 650,000 tons/year of propylene.

As MRC wrote previously, the company shut its Daesan cracker for an unplannes outage owing to a technical issues from 8 to 18 June, 2019.

We also remind that LG Chem is planning to spend USD2.4-billion to expand its naphtha cracking center (NCC) and polyolefin (PO) plant in Yeosu, South Korea. The project, which will expand the NCC and PO facility by 800,000 t/y each, is expected to be completed in the second half of 2021.

LG Chem Ltd., often referred to as LG Chemical, is the largest Korean chemical company and is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. According to ICIS report, it is 15th biggest chemical company in the world in 2011. It has eight domestic factories and global network of 29 business locations in 15 countries. LG Chem is a manufacturer, supplier, and exporter of petrochemical goods, IT&E Materials and Energy Solutions.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Covestro has successfully closed the sale of its European polycarbonates (PC) sheets business to the Munich-based Serafin Group effective January 2, 2020. This includes key management and sales functions throughout Europe as well as production sites in Belgium and Italy, reported MarketSreener.

The segment generated total sales of EUR 130 million in 2018. Serafin will continue operations with the 250 employees at all locations. Moreover, Covestro will continue to serve as key raw materials supplier in the foreseeable future.

With the sale of its European polycarbonates sheets business, Covestro is pursuing its ongoing portfolio optimization. The divestment follows transactions that were already concluded in North America and India, as well as the conversion of the Guangzhou (China) site into production of speciality films. Thus, Covestro has completely sold its polycarbonates sheets business.

From now on, the former polycarbonate sheets business of Covestro will operate under the new company name Exolon Group. Within Serafin Group, Exolon Group will be established as an independent, mid-sized company. With its own dedicated strategy based on the needs of its customers, the company will be able to fully exploit its growth potential in the future. As an independent company, Exolon Group will continue to focus on the production and distribution of high-quality solid and multiwall sheets, which are used in a variety of industries and applications, such as in the construction- and lightning industries as well as in the fields of mechanical engineering and mobility.

Covestro and Serafin have agreed not to disclose the financial details of the transaction.

As MRC wrote before, in May 2018, Bayer Group sold 28.81 million shares representing a 14.2 percent interest in Covestro at a price of 75.50 euros per share. The proceeds of this sale totaled 2.2 billion euros. Bayer AG now holds just 6.8 percent of Covestro shares to repay the exchangeable bond that matures in 2020. Bayer AG acquired these shares from Bayer Pension Trust, which now no longer holds any Covestro shares.

We also remind that on 1 September, 2015, Bayer MaterialScience became known as Covestro. The plans for the carve-out of Bayer MaterialScience were announced in September 2014.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated consumption of PC granules (excluding imports and exports to\\from Belarus) fell in January-November 2019 by 14% year on year to 70,700 tonnes (62,000 tonnes a year earlier).

Covestro (formerly Bayer MaterialScience) is an independent subgroup within Bayer. It was created as part of the restructuring of Bayer AG from the former business group Bayer Polymers, with certain of its activities being spun off to Lanxess AG. Covestro manufactures and develops materials such as coatings, adhesives and sealants, polycarbonates (CDs, DVDs), polyurethanes (automotive seating, insulation for refrigerating appliances) etc. With 2018 sales of EUR 14.6 billion, Covestro has 30 production sites worldwide and employs approximately 16,800 people (calculated as full-time equivalents) at the end of 2018.

Serafin is a diversified industrial group whose philosophy is based on more than 150 years of entrepreneurial tradition of its shareholding family. Serafin invests into companies with the aim to foster their long-term development in accordance with all stakeholders. Following the successful acquisition of Exolon Group, Serafin Group companies will generate total revenues of more than EUR 900 million with 5,000 employees.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- French oil major Total said that strikes against the government’s pension reform were having no impact on its fuel supply and distribution ahead of a four-day nationwide strike in French oil refineries, according to Hydrocarbonprocessing.

A day before unions are starting a 96-hour strike and protest actions at refineries in France, oil companies and the government are saying that motorists need not fear fuel shortages, but union leaders say they are determined to squeeze supplies until the government drops its pension reform plans.

"Our gas stations are well stocked on Monday. The protest movement that has been announced will have no impact on the supply of our network from Jan. 7 to 10 and beyond," Total said in a statement.

Total said that only 26 - or just 0.7% - of its 3,500 gas stations had supply problems on Monday morning and that there was no risk of shortages in its retail network.

Hard-line CGT union official Thierry Defresne told Reuters that seven out of eight French refineries will be on strike for 96 hours from Tuesday to Friday.

He said those refineries will close completely and will not distribute a single product, including no kerosene fuel for airplanes.

"There will be disturbances to fuel supply. Our goal is not to make motorists’ lives miserable. We want to show that workers are united against this reform," Defresne said.

About 50% of the fuel sold in France is not produced in local refineries but imported, which reduces the impact of French refinery strikes, an industry source said.

Total said its four oil refineries in Donges, Feyzin, Normandie and Grandpuits as well as its bio-refinery at La Mede were in operation.

It said that in Donges, Feyzin and Normandie products were shipped normally by trucks and pipeline, but that Grandpuits and La Mede could only be supplied by pipeline.

Total also said that with the exception of two fuel storage facilities attached to Grandpuits and La Mede, no depots were blocked. Nationwide, France has some 200 depots from where fuel is distributed to gas stations.

Public transport sector workers at national railway SNCF and Paris metro operator RATP have been on strike for more than a month, and on Thursday unions are organizing a fourth day of nationwide protest marches against President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reform plans.

As MRC informed before, in November 2019, Total disclosed that it is evaluating construction of a new gas cracker at its Deasan, South Korea, joint venture (JV) with Hanwha Chemical.

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

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,904,410 tonnes in the first eleven months of 2019, up by 6% year on year. Shipments of all PE grades increased. PE shipments increased from both domestic producers and foreign suppliers. The PP consumption in the Russian market was 1,161,830 tonnes in January-November 2019, up by 7% year on year. Deliveries of all grades of propylene polymers increased, with the homopolymer PP segment accounting for the largest increase.

Total S.A. is a French multinational oil and gas company and one of the six "Supermajor" oil companies in the world with business in Europe, the United States, the Middle East and Asia. The company's petrochemical products cover two main groups: base chemicals and the consumer polymers (polyethylene, polypropylene and polystyrene) that are derived from them.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Sandvik acquires privately owned Thermaltek Inc., a manufacturer of high temperature furnace systems and metallic heating elements headquartered in North Carolina, USA, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

“Through this acquisition we add further strength to our leading position in industrial heating, a strategically important growth area for our Kanthal division within Sandvik Materials Technology,” says Goran Bjorkman, President, Sandvik Materials Technology.

"This acquisition is yet another important step for Kanthal to expand its global offering of sustainable industrial heating. I am pleased to welcome all employees at Thermaltek into the Kanthal family,” says Nicklas Nilsson, Vice President, Kanthal.

In the 12-month period ending in September 2019, Thermaltek generated revenues of 13 million USD with its 30 employees and strong sales network in North America. Thermaltek will continue to go to market under its own brand.

The transaction is closed and Thermaltek will be reported as part of the division Kanthal within business area Sandvik Materials Technology. The parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price. The deal is neutral to earnings per share from the start.
MRC