Colonial Pipeline restarts main gasoline and distillate lines after Hurricane Ida

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Colonial Pipeline, the nation's largest fuel line, has restarted its main gasoline and distillate lines after it shut the lines as a safety precaution ahead of Hurricane Ida, reported Reuters with reference to the company's statement.

Despite the partial shutdown, fuel supply continued to be available throughout the southeast from the numerous terminals located along the supply route.

The lines went back into operation before midnight on Monday, the company said.

We remind that, as MRC informed before, the fourth-largest US refiner Phillips 66 said earlier this month that it put the smaller of its two Louisiana refineries up for sale amid continued losses and an uncertain future for motor fuels. The company is holding talks with a potential buyer on the sale of its 255,600 barrel-per-day (bpd) Alliance refinery in Belle Chasse, Louisiana, according to two people familiar with the matter. The identity of the potential buyer could not immediately be learned. US refiners have closed or sold oil processing plants as the COVID-19 pandemic slashed demand for gasoline and jet fuel, generating losses for the industry.

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 1,176,860 tonnes in the first half of 2021, up by 5% year on year. Shipments of exclusively low density polyethylene (LDPE) decreased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market were 727,160 tonnes in the first six months of 2021, up by 31% year on year. Supply of homopolymer PP and block-copolymers of propylene (PP block copolymers) increased. Supply of statistical copolymers of propylene (PP random copolymers) subsided.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Belgian window profile manufacturer Deceuninck (Hooglede-Gits) posted both a significant increase in sales in the first half of 2021 and substantial earnings due to high demand and increased prices, said Plasteurope.

Adjusted EBITDA hit EUR 51m on previously announced sales of EUR 404m. The result was more than 80% percent above earnings for the first half of 2020 and over 60% higher than in the same period of 2019. For the first time after the initial six months of 2019, Deceuninck exited the red by generating a net profit of EUR 20.6m.

CEO Francis van Eeckhout said he expects this positive development to continue: "The business environment is forecast to remain unchanged in the second half of 2021, so main market-driving factors such as supply bottlenecks and high raw material costs will remain.” Due to the situation, he did not rule out further price increases.

As MRC informed earlier, Deceuninck, a large international manufacturer of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) systems for windows and doors, acquired the Turkish company Pimas, a manufacturer of PVC window profiles.

According to MRC's DataScope report, last month"s SPVC imports to Russia grew to 8,700 tonnes from 5,000 tonnes in June. Good seasonal demand and shutdowns for maintenance at two major Russian plants led to a surge in imports in July. Overall imports totalled 28,700 tonnes in the first seven months of 2021, compared to 27,900 tonnes a year earlier, with resin from China accounting for the main increase in imports.

The international concern The Deceuninck Group is a manufacturer of PVC systems for the construction industry. The concern operates in 75 countries, has 35 branches in Europe, North America and Asia and employs 2.8 thousand employees worldwide. The headquarters of the concern is located in Belgium (Deceuninck NV).
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) - PetroChina, Asia's largest oil and gas producer, said on Tuesday its company had launched an 8.04 billion yuan (USD1.24 billion) ethane-fed ethylene project in China's far western region of Xinjiang, reported Reuters.

The project is designed to produce 600,000 tonnes of ethylene, 300,000 tonnes of high density polyethylene (HDPE) and 300,000 tonnes of full-density polyethylene (PE) per year.

The project will help reduce dependence on foreign ethylene processing technology, PetroChina said in a statement. The ethane to be used as feedstock in the project will be separated from natural gas produced from the Tarim oilfield.

Dushanzi Petrochemical now has an annual ethylene capacity of 2 million tonnes. In early August, PetroChina finished trial operation of an 800,000 tonnes-per-annum ethane-to-ethylene plant in Shaanxi province.

As MRC wrote before, PetroChina Liaoyang Petrochemical Co Ltd , part of the Chinese petrochemical major - PetroChina,successfully started up its new polypropylene (PP) plant in the third week of August. Based in Liaoning City, Liaoyang Province, China, the new PP plant has a production capacity of 300,000 tons/year.

Ethylene and propylene are the main feedstocks for the production of PE and PP, respectively.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,176,860 tonnes in the first half of 2021, up by 5% year on year. Shipments of exclusively low density polyethylene (LDPE) decreased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market were 727,160 tonnes in the first six months of 2021, up by 31% year on year. Supply of homopolymer PP and block-copolymers of propylene (PP block copolymers) increased. Supply of statistical copolymers of propylene (PP random copolymers) subsided.

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) -- Arkema is acquiring US-based Ashland's performance adhesives business in an all-cash USD1.65bn deal, said the company.

The transaction is expected to close by the end of this year. An agreement was signed today for the acquisition of Ashland’s Performance Adhesives business, a first-class leader in high performance adhesives for industrial applications in the United States with a unique and innovative product portfolio. This project is perfectly aligned with the Group’s ambition to become a pure Specialty Materials player by 2024.

"Following the recent divestment of PMMA and the start of the strategic review of Fluorogases, the acquisition of Ashland’s adhesives business is a fantastic opportunity to reinforce the Group’s presence in the US and to accelerate Bostik’s growth," the company said.

With estimated sales of around $360m and an estimated earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) at around $95m in 2021, Ashland offers a portfolio of high performance adhesive solutions in high-value-added industrial applications, Arkema said.

Ashland’s Performance Adhesives business employs about 330 people and operates six production plants, mainly in north America.

As per MRC, Trinseo completed the EUR1.14 billion acquisition of Arkema's PMMA business in May. The EUR1.14 billion deal was announced in December and was expected to be completed by mid-2021. The company has seven PMMA plants, four in Europe and three in North America. Products are marketed under the Plexiglas brands in the Americas and Altuglas in the rest of the world. PMMA Manufacturing Arkema is an integrated business from methyl methacrylate (MMA) to PMMA, marketed under the Plexiglas brands in the Americas and Altuglas in the rest of the world.

The main sector consuming approximately 75% of MMA is the production of polymethyl methacrylate acrylic plastics (PMMA). Methyl methacrylate is also used to produce methyl methacrylate-butadiene-styrene copolymer (MBS), used as a modifier for polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

According to MRC's DataScope report, last month"s SPVC imports to Russia grew to 8,700 tonnes from 5,000 tonnes in June. Good seasonal demand and shutdowns for maintenance at two major Russian plants led to a surge in imports in July. Overall imports totalled 28,700 tonnes in the first seven months of 2021, compared to 27,900 tonnes a year earlier, with resin from China accounting for the main increase in imports.

Arkema is one of the world's leading chemical manufacturers headquartered in Colombes (near Paris, France). Founded in 2004 as a result of the restructuring of the French oil company Total, Arkema, with a turnover of EUR6.5 billion, has operations in 40 countries, 10 research centers around the world, and 85 plants in Europe, North America and Asia.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) - The imports of polyethylene (PE) to Russia decreased by 13% in January-July of this year and reached the level of 337,100 tonnes. The largest decrease in imports accounted for high-density polyethylene (HDPE), according to MRC's DataScope.

July PE imports exceeded 53,000 tonnes against 43,200 tonnes a month earlier, with HDPE and linear polyethylene (LLDPE) imports increased most of all. In general, the total volume of imports of ethylene polymers amounted to 337,100 tonnes for seven months of this year against 388,400 tonnes a year earlier. The main decrease in imports accounted for HDPE, and supply of linear polyethylene also significantly decreased.

The structure of HDPE imports by processing technologies for the period under review was as follows.

July imports of HDPE rose to 19,800 tonnes against 15,300 tonnes a month earlier, supplies of film and pipe polyethylene increased. In general, in January - July of this year, the total volume of external supplies of this type of polyethylene amounted to 118,200 tonnes, which is 29% less than a year earlier. The largest decrease in supplies accounted for film and blow moulding HDPE.

Last month, imports of low-pressure polyethylene (LDPE) did not exceed 9,500 tonnes, while in June this figure was 8,700 tonnes. During the period under review, the total volume of LDPE imports to Russia reached the level of 66,000 tonnes, which is 6% more than a year earlier.

July imports of linear polyethylene reached the level of 13,900 tonnes against 10,100 tonnes a month earlier, increased external purchases of film polyethylene in Europe and Saudi Arabia. The total volume of LLDPE imports amounted to 89,600 tonnes in the seven months of this year, down 15% year on year.

Last month, imports of other ethylene polymers, including ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), amounted to 9,900 tonnes against 9,200 tonnes in June. In general, for the period under review, the total volume of external supplies of other ethylene polymers reached the level of 62,000 tonnes against 55,000 tonnes a year earlier.
MRC