MOSCOW (MRC) -- Imports of expandable polystyrene (EPS) into Ukraine decreased in January-November 2013 by 8.5% year on year and totalled about 23,000 tonnes, according to MRC DataScope.
This year's falling imports were accompanied by converters' general decline in activity and lower EPS consumption on the back of reductions in construction rates in Ukraine. SIBUR-Khimprom is still the largest EPS supplier to the Ukrainian domestic market. The overall Russian EPS imports to Ukraine totalled 20,500 tonnes over the eleven month of the year.
The share of Russian EPS in total consumption of the material in Ukraine increased significantly, despite the overall cuts in shipments. EPS imports from Russia grew by 7,000 tonnes year on year, thereby substantially displacing the Chinese and European suppliers.
November EPS shipments failed to increase because of the lack of available quantities of material in Russia, despite strong demand in the domestic market. EPS imports to Ukraine fell in November by 66% from October to 1,700 tonnes. Falling imports were accompanied by an absence of Ukrainian material in the market because of an outage at Stirol, which led to a shortage of EPS in the Ukrainian market in November.
MRC