PE imports to Ukraine down by 11% in H1 2021

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Overall polyethylene (PE) imports into the Ukrainian market reached 121,800 tonnes in the first six months of 2021, down by 11% year on year. The decrease in imports accounted for high density polyethylene (HDPE) and low density polyethylene (LDPE), according to the Datascope report.

Last month's PE imports grew to 18,500 tonnes from 19,800 tons in May, local companies increased their purchasing of linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) and low density polyethylene (LDPE). Thus, overall PE imports reached 121,800 tonnes in January-June 2021, compared to 136,400 tonnes a year earlier. HDPE and LDPE imports decreased, whereas imports of other PE grades increased.

The supply structure by PE grades looked the following way over the stated period.

Last month's HDPE imports were 6,600 tonnes, which corresponded to the May figure. Overall HDPE imports totalled 39,700 tonnes in the first six months of 2021 versus 54,300 tonnes a year earlier.

June low density polyethylene (LDPE) imports were 5,000 tonnes versus 5,400 tonnes a month earlier, Ukrainian companies reduced their purchases in Belarus. Overall LDPE imports reached 36,500 tonnes over the stated period, up by 7% year on year.

Last month's imports of linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) were 5,300 tonnes, compared to 6,000 tonnes in May, shipments of film grade LLDPE from Saudi Arabia increased. However, overall LLDPE imports reached 31,700 tonnes in the first six months of 2021, compared to 36,400 tonnes a year earlier.


Imports of other PE grades, including ethylene-vinyl-acetate (EVA), totalled about 8,500 tonnes over the stated period, compared to 6,500 tonnes a year earlier.

MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- SayanskKhimPlast (Irkutsk region) has shut its polyvinyl chloride (PVC) production for a scheduled turnaround, according to ICIS-MRC Price report.

According to a representative of the enterprise, the production of polyvinyl chloride was stopped for scheduled preventive maintenance from 12 July. The shutdown will be short and will last for about 10 days. PVC production capacity at the plant will be 350,000 tonnes/year.

According to MRC ScanPlast , SayanskKhimPlast reduced its capacity utilisation last month and produced 23,400 tonnes of suspension PVC (SPVC), compared to 26,500 tonnes in May. The Sayansk plant managed to produce 156,900 tonnes of PVC in the fist six months of 2021, compared to 164,3000 tonnes a year earlier.

JSC "Sayanskkhimplast" (Irkutsk region), established in 1998, is a complex of large-capacity chlororganic production facilities connected in a single production cycle. SayanskKhimPlast produces PVC, caustic soda and bleach.
After commissioning of RusVinyl's PVC production (Nizhny Novgorod region), SayanskKhimPlast became Russia's second largest PVC producer.

MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) - The Bashkir Soda Company (BSK, Sterlitamak) has stopped the production of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) for scheduled preventive maintenance, according to the ICIS-MRC Price Report.

According to a company representative, the scheduled preventive maintenance shutdown started on the weekend from 10 July. The outage will be short and will last 14 days. The plant's annual production capacity is 240,000 tonnes.

It is also worth noting that SayanskKhimPlast intends to stop PVC production from 14 July for maintenance works for 10 days. The plant's annual production capacity is 350,000 tonnes.

According to the ScanPlast, Baskhir Soda Company produced 23,300 tonnes of SPVC in June versus 23,800 tonnes a month earlier. The Baskhir plant's overall production of resin reached 140,500 tonnes in January-June 2021, up by 8% year on year.

JSC "Bashkir Soda Company" was founded in April 2013 by the takeover of JSC "Soda" to JSC "Kaustik". Today "BSK" is one of the largest chemical complexes in the country. The company ranks first in Russia in the production of soda ash and baking soda, and is also one of the leaders in the production of PVC, caustic soda and cable compounds.

MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Imports of bottle grade polyethylene terephthalate (PET) in Ukraine grew by 15% year on year to 84,300 tonnes in January-June from 73,000 tonnes a year earlier. June imports of PET increased to 23,300 tonnes compared with 13,100 tonnes in May.
External supplies of material were at the level of 14,200 tonnes in June last year, according to MRC's Datascope.

The volume of supplies of bottle grade PET from China to Ukraine over the six months of the year fell almost two times: from 21,300 tonnes in January-June 2020 to 48,100 tonnes. Nevertheless, the supply of Chinese PET chips to the Ukrainian market last month increased and amounted to 17,500 tonnes against 5,300 tonnes a month earlier, compared to June last year, imports increased by three times.

The share of imports from China in the total volume amounted to 75% in June against 40% a month earlier and 36% in June 2020.
In the first H1, the share of Chinese material increased from 29% in the first H1 months of last year to 57%. The key suppliers of injection moulding Chinese PET chips to the Ukrainian market were producers Dragon, China Resources Chemicals and Yisheng Petrochemical.

At the same time, import of injection moulding PET chips from Lithuania decreased by 32% in the six months of this year and amounted to 29,300 tonnes. This figure was at 38,800 tonnes in January-June 2020. The volume of foreign deliveries from Lithuania to Ukraine decreased by 52% in June compared to May to 3,200 tonnes against 6,700 tonnes. In June of the previous year, imports of PET chips were 5,400 tonnes.

The volume of Lithuanian imports to the country in the total supply volume increased to 35% in he first six months of this year against 53% in January - June 2020. The main supplier of Lithuanian material is the manufacturer Neo Group (26,600 tonnes). The main buyers of Lithuanian bottled PET were Coca-Cola Beverages Ukraine Limited and Retal.

MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Saudi Arabia, the world's top crude oil exporter, will supply full contractual volumes of August-loading crude to at least five Asian customers, sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

However, the producer has turned down two of the buyers' requests for extra barrels, two of the sources said.

Saudi state energy company Saudi Aramco declined to comment on the matter.

Last week, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and their allies, a group known as OPEC+, failed to reach an agreement to increase output from August.

After the breakdown of talks, Saudi Arabia raised the August official selling prices (OSPs) of all crude grades it sells to Asia, setting flagship Arab light crude at USD2.70 a barrel above the Oman/Dubai average for Asia, up 80 cents from July. The price hike was slightly above an expected month-on-month increase of 65 cents a barrel on average from five refinery respondents surveyed by Reuters.

As MRC informed before, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have just reached a compromise over OPEC+ policy, an OPEC+ source said, in a move that should unlock a deal to supply more crude to a tight oil market and cool soaring prices.

We remind that Mukesh Ambani, chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), said in June he expects the company's deal with Saudi Aramco to materialise this year. Meanwhile, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, chairman of Saudi Aramco and the Governor of the Public Investment Fund, joined the board of Reliance as an independent director.

Ethylene and propylene are the main feedstocks for the production of polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), respectively.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 953,400 tonnes in the first five months of 2021, which virtually corresponded to the same figure a year earlier. High denisty polyethylene (HDPE) shipments decreased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market were 607,8900 tonnes in January-May 2021, up by 33% year on year. Shipments of homopolymer PP and PP block copolymers increased, whereas deliveries of PP random copolymers decreased.
MRC