Turkish paraxylene imports up 116% on year in August

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Turkey's imports of paraxylene (PX) increased by 116% on year to 12,938 mt in August, compared with 5,985 mt in the same month last year, the latest Turkstat data showed, reported Apic-online.

The August total decreased by nearly 6% from 13,721 mt in July.

The increase on the year was largely due to volumes inflow of 7,739 mt from Israel in August, whereas it had shipped none in the same month last year. Israel also retained the leading position among exporters in August, although it was largely unchanged from 7,732 mt in July.

Turkey's other PX supplier, the Netherlands, however had a monthly decrease in exports of around 13% to 5,199 mt in August, compared to 5,989 mt in July. August exports were also down from 5,984 mt twelve months ago.

Turkey is a net importer of xylenes, with negligible export volumes across all xylene isomers throughout the year, according to Turkstat.

We remind that, as MRC informed previously, global PX demand is estimated to exceed 62.98 mln tons at a CAGR of 7% from 2015 to 2022, as per Grand View Research, Inc. Growing utilization of purified terephthalic acid (PTA) for polyester production, particularly in Asia Pacific is expected to fuel growth in paraxylene market over the forecast period. The global PX market is anticipated to reach USD66.93 bln by 2022 owing to increasing demand for fiber and polyester resin in numerous end-use applications across various industries. Growing utilization of purified terephthalic acid (PTA) for polyester production, particularly in Asia Pacific is expected to fuel growth in paraxylene market over the forecast period.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Amec Foster Wheeler announces it has been awarded a contract by Singapore Refining Company (SRC), a joint venture between Singapore Petroleum Company and Chevron, to undertake Front End Engineering and Design (FEED) and Detailed Engineering Services for upgrade of its Crude and Vacuum heater efficiency which includes revamp of burners, air preheater and a common new chimney stack, in Jurong Island, Singapore, said Energynewsclip.

The scope of the contract will include a Hazard and Operability Study (HAZOP) and constructability studies. An Engineering, Procurement, and Construction Management (EPCm) schedule will also be developed.

We look forward to applying our world-class refinery expertise to help Singapore Refining Company deliver efficiency and environmental performance improvements at its refinery. – Jonathan Lewis, Chief Executive Officer, Amec Foster Wheeler plc.

SRC operates one of the refineries in Singapore, with a processing capacity of 290,000bpd, of crude oil and producing mainly fuel products distributed both to domestic and overseas markets.

As MRC informed earlier, Indonesia’s PT Pertamina (Persoro) and Saudi Aramco have let a contract to a subsidiary of Amec Foster Wheeler PLC to provide engineering and project management services for the upgrade and expansion of the 348,000-b/d Cilacap refinery on Java, Indonesia.

Last month, SRC awarded US petrochemicals engineer Jacobs a contract for the upgrade of the refinery’s naphtha splitter unit, naphtha hydrotreating unit and catalytic reformer unit.

SRC is a joint venture between Singapore Petroleum Company and Chevron.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Ivory Coast signed a partnership pact to create a consortium headed by France's Total to build a LNG import terminal that could begin receiving gas shipments by mid-2018, said Reuters.

Ivory Coast has emerged from years of political turmoil to become one of Africa's fastest growing economies and demand for electricity is increasing by 10% annually, according to the energy ministry. "The arrival of LNG in Ivory Coast opens a new era in the production of electricity," Energy Minister Adama Toungara said at a signing ceremony in the commercial capital Abidjan.

Ivory Coast, French-speaking West Africa's largest economy, has the region's most reliable power production sector and exports electricity to its neighbors. However, a lack of new domestic gas discoveries has raised concerns of a supply crunch.

The project aims to conceive, build and operate a floating storage regasification unit (FSRU) with initial capacity of 100 MMcf that would gradually be brought up to 500 MMcf, according to an energy ministry statement.

The ministry estimated the cost at USD200 MM. Total would be the project's operator. Other members of the consortium include Royal Dutch Shell, Houston-based Endeavor Energy, Ivory Coast state oil company Petroci, CI-Energies, Azerbaijan's SOCAR and Golar LNG.

Total said earlier Tuesday that the discussions in Ivory Coast were in a preliminary stage. It has said it plans to invest and finance downstream gas infrastructure especially in countries where there is a growing demand for power. The move could enable it capture new gas buyers.

Ivory Coast's oil ministry said last year that USD20 B in power investment would be needed over the next 15 years to meet demand.

As MRC informed earlier, in September,Total shut down some units at its 247 Mbpd Gonfreville refinery in northern France following a technical incident. The spokesman said the incident occurred in a steam producing unit whose backup was under maintenance.

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) -- Clariant, a world leader in specialty chemicals, has joined forces with SICPA SA, a trusted provider of global security solutions, to launch PLASTIWARD, a robust integrated protection for plastic pharmaceutical packaging or medical devices, said the producer in its press release.

Today, chronic health conditions ranging from diabetes to asthma make use of portable plastic pharmaceutical packaging such as insulin pens or inhalators for targeted delivery of a treatment. Such medical devices enable millions of patients to lead active lives. An ageing population in developed economies and a rising middle class in developing economies will drive demand for pharma innovation in the foreseeable future. This in turn will drive growth in pharmaceutical packaging, including plastic medical devices. One report projects a CAGR of 6.5% for the global medical devices market from 2014 to 2020, rising from an estimated USD 61 billion in 2014 to USD 89 billion in 20201.

However, this strong growth has also attracted counterfeiters and others dealing in illicit trade. The WHO estimates that 8% of medical devices in circulation are counterfeits2. In one case, in 2009, over two million fake insulin pen needles were seized in three European countries. Such products represent a financial and reputational liability for legitimate companies, and they pose a health risk for the patients who rely on them to manage a life-threatening condition.

"The counterfeiting of pharmaceutical products, including medical devices, is a silent and deadly epidemic. It attacks strong pharmaceutical brands, while sapping the trust of patients and doctors. It poses a risk for all of us," said Fabienne Le Tadic, Executive President of Product and Brand Protection at SICPA. "As part of our commitment to make this world a safer place, we partnered with Clariant, a leader in polymers and masterbatches, to create PLASTIWARD. This in-plastic brand protection solution helps pharma companies to protect their patients and brands."

PLASTIWARD offers a unique end-to-end solution integrating exclusive, proprietary security features from SICPA into polymer compounds or concentrates (known as "masterbatches") from Clariant. Data gathered from instantaneous authentication using a handheld detector can be uploaded and aggregated on a secure inspection platform from SICPA that facilitates real-time monitoring at global, regional or local levels. This enables pharmaceutical companies to monitor their products from factory to pharmacy, identify emerging trends and improve response times if action is required.

"At Clariant, our approach to the medical and pharmaceutical sectors is based on controlling and minimising risks of changes in the raw materials used and in our production facilities. PLASTIWARD is a robust, cost-effective end-to-end in-plastic system for protecting your brands worldwide," said Steve Duckworth, Head of Global Segment Healthcare Polymer Solutions at Clariant.

Yet, PLASTIWARD is more than just a system. It offers pharmaceutical clients a two-in-one approach that combines Clariant’s track record in developing polymer compounds and masterbatches for the needs of the pharmaceutical sector and SICPA’s proven expertise in protecting brands and products. As part of the PLASTIWARD value proposition, our unique solution offers clients one seamless package comprising: security assessment, needs definition, security system design, system deployment and on-going performance monitoring.

As MRC reported earlier, in March 2015, Clariant announced the global availability of a new line of "animal-free" MEVOPUR standard masterbatches and compounds. The development offers the makers of pharmaceutical packaging and medical devices a consistent and traceable supply of products that are compliant with global standards and support a wide range of product design, marketing, and manufacturing needs.

Clariant AG is a Swiss chemical company and a world leader in the production of specialty chemicals for the textile, printing, mining and metallurgical industries. It is engaged in processing crude oil products in pigments, plastics and paints.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- BP and the Area 4 concession partners, Eni East Africa (EEA), Galp Energia (Galp), Kogas and Empresa Nactional de Hidrocarbonetos (ENH), entered into a sales and purchase agreement for BP to purchase 100% of the LNG produced by the EEA-operated Coral South FLNG facility expected to be installed offshore Mozambique, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The agreement covers the purchase of LNG for over 20 years. The agreement, which has been approved by the government of Mozambique, is conditional on the Final Investment Decision (FID) being taken for the project, which is currently expected by the end of 2016. The Coral South Floating LNG facility is expected to have a capacity above 3.3 MMtpy.

BP will use LNG from the contract to help meet its global supply commitments.

As MRC informed earlier, ExxonMobil and its partners BP and ConocoPhillips have decided not to move forward with their JV, Alaska LNG, as they believe that current market conditions make the project unprofitable. The project is estimated to cost USD45 B-USD65 B.

BP is a leading producer of oil and gas and produces enough energy annually to light nearly the entire country for a year. Employing about 17,000 people across the country, BP supports more than 170,000 additional jobs through all of its business activities.
MRC