SOCAR announces volume of exported oil products

MOSCOW (MRC) -- In October 2017, Marketing and Economic Operations Department under the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) exported 51,129 tonnes of diesel fuel, 9,527 tonnes of aircraft fuel, 3,321 tonnes of liquid pyrolysis resin, 2,439 tonnes of high-pressure polyethylene, and 2,134 tonnes of propylene, according to APA.

SOCAR totally exported 452,288 tonnes of diesel fuel, 43,110 tonnes of aircraft fuel, 236 tonnes of furnace oil, 50,306 tonnes of liquid pyrolysis resin, 58,704 tonnes of high-pressure polyethylene, and 31,384 tonnes of propylene in January-October 2017.

The world market price of ethyl gasoline was (1 ton) USD560.49, jet fuel - USD543.08, diesel - USD505.58, high-pressure polyethylene - USD1,235, butylene-butadiene fraction - USD652.86, liquid pyrolysis resin - USD560.49, propylene - EUR860.

As MRC informed before, in October 2015, State Oil Co. of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) subsidiary Azerikimya Production Union (PU) has entered two units into operation at its ethylene and polyethylene (PE) plant in Sumgait, north of Baku.

SOCAR Polymer is a subsidiary of the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR). The entity was formed at the end of 2013 to run investments at the Sumgait Chemical Industrial Park, a production park which intends to become a chemical hub in central Asia.
MRC

Shell beats Q3 expectations as profits jumps on refining

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Royal Dutch Shell reported a near 50 percent rise in quarterly profits, driven by strong refining, while solid cash generation underscored the oil and gas company has adapted well to a world of low oil prices, as per Reuters.

The Anglo-Dutch company sharply boosted its cash generation in recent quarters as the effects of cost cuts and asset sales kicked in following Chief Executive Officer Ben van Beurden’s preparations for “longer forever” oil prices following the 2014 downturn.

"Shell’s three businesses all made resilient contributions to this strong set of results," van Beurden said in a statement, referring to downstream operations, oil and gas.

Shell and most of its rivals are now able to generate profit even if oil prices return to about USD50 a barrel and are once again focusing on growing their businesses. Oil prices averaged USD52 a barrel in the quarter and are today above USD60 a barrel.

BP said this week it was able to balance its books so far this year at USD49 a barrel. In a sign of a renewed emphasis on growth, last week Shell won half the blocks awarded in Brazil’s deepwater oil auction, where rivals BP and Exxon Mobil Corp also acquired blocks in a historic opening to foreign operators.

Shell shares were little changed as of 0920 GMT.
MRC

CB&I awarded engineering, procurement, supply contract for LUKOIL

MOSCOW (MRC) -- CB&I announced it has been awarded a contract by LUKOIL NizhegorodNefteorgSyntez, a subsidiary of JSC LUKOIL, for the detailed engineering, procurement and supply of process equipment, including two proprietary delayed coking heaters for the Deep Conversion Complex in Kstovo City, central Russia, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The units will use Chevron Lummus Global's (CLG) delayed coking technology for the processing of 2,100 KTA of refinery residues.

CLG offers the most complete, bottom-of-the-barrel upgrading solutions. In addition to the engineering, procurement and supply contract announced today, CB&I is continuing to work closely with LUKOIL to assess a broader range of solutions for the project.
MRC

DowDuPont to expand Zytel and Hytrel capacity in China

MOSCOW (MRC) -- DowDuPont has announced that it will increase production capacity at its site in Shenzhen, China, to meet the strong demand for engineered polymers used in the automotive, consumer and electronics markets, as per GV.

The company plans to invest approximately USD 42 million to install three new production lines by the second quarter of 2019 and have them fully operational by the end of 2019. According to DowDuPont, this investment will support the growing demand for speciality resins including: Zytel polyamide (PA), Zytel HTN (High Temperature Nylon), Zytel speciality nylon and Hytrel thermoplastic polyester elastomer. The in-house compounding capacity of Hytrel is the first of its kind in the Asia Pacific region, the company said.

"We opened the Shenzhen facility in June 2016 and since then have seen extraordinary growth in demand for engineered polymers from our customers," said Randy Stone, president, DowDuPont Transportation & Advanced Polymers. "Investing in this capacity expansion demonstrates our commitment to respond to the rapidly growing demand by delivering innovative materials and solutions to meet the needs of our customers and the markets they serve."

As MRC reported earlier, in late September 2017, DowDuPont Materials Science, the business division of newly formed DowDupont, commissioned ethylene and polyethylene (PE) units in Freeport, Tex., as part of Dow Chemical Co.'s previously announced USD6-billion US Gulf Coast (USGC) investment program in Texas and Louisiana on projects to utilize low-cost and advantaged US shale gas feedstock. The 1.5 million-tonne/year ethylene plant and 400,000-tpy PE plant - which is based on Dow’s proprietary Solution process technology for production of the company’s ELITE brand enhanced PE resins - were both in operation as of Sept. 21.
MRC

BPCL ramps up run rate at Kochi refinery after expansion

MOSCOW (MRC) — India's Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL) has ramped up the operating rate of its Kochi oil refinery after completing an expansion at the plant in southern India, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter said on Thursday, said Reuters.

The refinery is currently running at about 13 MMtpy, or about 260,000 bpd, up from its original capacity of 9.5 MMtpy, one of the sources said, asking to remain unidentified as he was not authorized to speak with the media.

BPCL plans to gradually ramp up Kochi to its new capacity of 15.5 MMtpy, he added, without giving a timeline.

BPCL added a new crude distillation unit and a delayed coking unit as part of the expansion, according to the company website.

The expansion was expected to be completed by last year, but was later delayed. BPCL's spokesperson could not be reached for comment.
MRC