US advocacy group calls on Sasol to terminate Iran polyethylene business

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Sasol maintains an active presence in Iran through the Arya Sasol Polymer Company (ASPC), which operates two polyethylene plants in Iran. The company is a USD900 million joint venture between Sasol and Iran's state-owned National Petrochemical Company (NPC), said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) is asking South African energy giant Sasol to immediately declare an end to its business in Iran and take the steps necessary to complete such an exit, the US-based advocacy group said on Monday.

Sasol maintains an active presence in Iran through the Arya Sasol Polymer Company (ASPC), which operates two polyethylene plants in Iran. The company is a USD900 million joint venture between Sasol and Iran's state-owned National Petrochemical Company (NPC).

The NPC is sanctioned by the US and is identified by the international community as an entity of concern for procurement of weapons of mass destruction and proliferation, the UANI group says.

As MRC wrote earlier, Sasol announced in October 2011 that it would divest from Iran, but has not yet followed through on that pledge, according to the group.

Sasol would not commit to a definitive date to end Iran activities.

MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Fitch Ratings has affirmed Petkim Petrokimya Holdings A.S. (Petkim) Long-term foreign and local currency Issuer Default Rating (IDRs) at 'B+' and National Long-term rating at 'A-(tur)'. The Outlook on the
Long-term ratings is Negative. The agency has simultaneously withdrawn all the ratings, said Reuters.

Fitch has withdrawn the ratings as Petkim has chosen to stop participating in the rating process. Therefore, Fitch will no longer have sufficient information to maintain the ratings. Accordingly, Fitch will no longer provide ratings or
analytical coverage for Petkim.

Petkim is the leading petrochemical company of Turkey. Founded on April 3, 1965, the main plant complex is located in Yar'mca, Izmit.

Specializing in petrochemical manufacturing, the company produces ethylene, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene and other chemical building blocks for use in the manufacture of plastics, textiles, and other consumer and industrial products.

The company has 14 manufacturing plants supplying a significant portion of petrochemicals used in Turkey. The company also exports products to the United States, and countries in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.


MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- SABIC’s Innovative Plastics developed and intorduced its new polycarbonate (PC) glazing materials for automotive window applications with Fiat’s new 500L multi-purpose vehicle (MPV), according to the company's press release.

The new materials are used in rear fixed side windows moulded from SABIC’s clear LEXAN GLX resin and black CYCOLOY resin. The Fiat 500L has already launched in Europe and is set to roll out in the United States in early 2013.

These high-performance SABIC materials help reduce weight by about 35 percent, improve aerodynamic efficiency and achieve the desired styling vs. glass. The rear fixed side windows of the vehicle will be the first in the United States to use two-shot injection compression molding.

"SABIC’s polycarbonate glazing materials and expertise enabled us to achieve all of our goals for the rear fixed side windows of the 500L, including weight-out, sleek aerodynamics and cutting-edge styling," said Carlo Torreggiani with Fiat’s Group Materials Labs, Polymers & Glasses department. "Compared to glass, SABIC’s glazing materials gave us greater freedom to create the distinctive and desired window shape and promote the aerodynamic efficiency and fuel economy of the vehicle. It is all about maximum style at a minimum cost per mile for our customers, and we will continue to explore the opportunities presented by polycarbonate glazing materials to make further progress."

The LEXAN GLX grade, a specialty PC resin, was developed with automotive glazing applications in mind. It delivers high cleanliness, weatherability, easy processing and compatibility with protective coatings. The CYCOLOY grade, a blend of PC and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) resin, provides superior dimensional stability and excellent aesthetics for this application. As MRC informed earlier this year, SABIC's Innovative Plastics business expanded its portfolio of high-performance material solutions by adding two new LEXAN sheet products to its already robust materials portfolio in September. These new products include LEXAN H6500 sheet, a new PC/acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (PC/ABS) sheet grade that complies with the upcoming CEN/TS 45545 harmonized standard, and LEXAN H6200 sheet, a new grade that complies with Germany's DIN norm. Later, the company launched new next-generation LEXAN XHR 5000 sheet for aircraft window shades. This innovative product is designed to help global aerospace customers comply with increasingly stringent standards for flame-smoke-toxicity performance of interior aircraft components.

Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) ranks among the world’s top petrochemical companies. The company is among the world’s market leaders in the production of polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP) and other advanced thermoplastics, glycols, methanol and fertilizers.

Innovative Plastics is a wholly owned subsidiary of Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC). The company’s extensive product portfolio includes thermoplastic resins, coatings, specialty compounds, film, and sheet to serve diverse markets such as automotive, electronics, building & construction, transportation, and healthcare.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Dear readers of MRC!

On this Christmas, the team of MRC wishes everyone happiness and prosperity on the personal and professional life.

During this year, we provided reliable analytics on any changes of the polymers market in the CIS countries. We want to take a chance on this so special time to give all our readers and clients the respective thanks for your preference and trust.

Merry Christmas and warm wishes for a wonderful Holiday Season and a very Happy New Year!


Best wishes,
MRC staff.

We will be back from holidays on 8 January, 2013.


MRC

(4-trader) -- Saudi Kayan, Sadara Chemical and Saudi Acrylic Acid Company (SAAC) have joined forces to establish a new company, which will build the first butanol plant in the Middle East and the largest in the world.

The Saudi Butanol Company, which will produce butanol to support the growth of the paints and coatings industry in Saudi Arabia, will be located at Tasnee Petrochemicals Complex in Jubail Industrial City and operated by Tasnee.

The new plant is scheduled to go on-stream in the first quarter of 2015. It will open new job opportunities of around 200 direct and indirect positions for Saudi citizens.

Under the agreement, the three partners will have equal stake in the production quantities for downstream use or for sales in the local and overseas markets.

The design capacity of the plant is 330,000 metric tons per annum of n-butanol and 11,000 metric tons per annum of iso-butanol. Sabic will be marketing the Saudi Kayan share of the butanol plant along with the excess material of SAAC. The estimated total cost of the project is SR1,939 million (USD517 million).

Saudi Kayan Petrochemical Company is a manufacturing affiliate of the Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic), while Sadara Chemical Company is a joint venture developed by Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco) and The Dow Chemical Company.

Saudi Acrylic Acid Company (SAAC) is an affiliate of National Industrialization Company (Tasnee) and Sahara Petrochemicals Company.
MRC