Output of products from polymers in Russia up 4% in the first eleven months of 2017

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Russia's output of products from polymers dropped in November by 4% month on month. However, this figure grew in January-November 2017 by 4% year on year, reported MRC analysts.

According to the Russian Federal State Statistics Service, November output of unreinforced and non-combined films was 92,600 tonnes, compared to 101,100 tonnes a month earlier. Production of film products grew in January-November 2017 by 6.4% year on year to 991,800 tonnes.

Last month's output of porous boards, sheets and polymer films fell to 25,960 tonnes, whereas this figure was 27,420 tonnes in October. Overall production of these polymer products increased by 13.7% year on year in the first eleven months of 2017 to 254,600 tonnes.

November output of non-porous boards, sheets and films was 28,300 tonnes, compared to 29,700 tonnes a month earlier. Thus, output of these products rose by 13.5% over the stated period to 310,100 tonnes.

Last month's production of plastic bottles and flasks grew to 1,473,000 units versus 1,409,000 units in October. Output of these plastic products increased by 18% in the first eleven months of 2017, totalling 17,795,000 units.

November production of plastic windows and door blocks was 2,062,000 sq metres and 75,620 sq metres, respectively, versus 2,346,000 sq metres and 106,450 sq metres a month earlier. Output of these products was 20,540,000 sq meters in January-November 2017 and 882,100 sq meters, respectively, up by 10% and 6% year on year, respectively.

November production of polymer pipes, hoses and fittings decreased to 50,500 tonnes from 55,740 tonnes a month earlier. Overall output of these products totalled 526,100 tonnes in the first eleven months of 2017, down by 0.7% year on year.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Huajin Chemical has shut its No.1 polypropylene (PP) unit at Liaoning Province, according to Apic-online.

A Polymerupdate source in China informed that the company has halted operations at the unit on December 22, 2017 for a maintenance turnaround. The exact duration of the shutdown was not available.

Located in Liaoning province, China, the No. 1 PP unit has a production capacity of 50,000 mt/year.

As MRC informed previously, on 14 August 2017, Liaoning Huajin Chemical restarted its PP unit following an unplanned outage. The unit was shut in end-July 2017 owing to shortage of feedstock.
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MOSCOW (MRC) — Russia held on as China's largest crude oil supplier for the ninth month in a row in November, also topping Saudi Arabia for the year so far, Chinese customs data showed, as per Reuters.

Shipments from Russia in November reached 5.12 MMt, or 1.26 MMbpd, up 11% from a year ago, according to detailed commodity trade data for last month from China's General Administration of Customs.

That compared to October's 1.095 MMbpd in Russian oil imports, and a record set in September at 1.545 MMbpd. Saudi Arabia came in second, with November imports from there dropping 7.8% from a year ago to 1.056 MMbpd.

For the first 11 mos of the year, Russian supplies expanded 15.5% on the year to 54.77 MMt, or 1.2 MMbpd, overtaking Saudi Arabia by 159,000 bpd. The boost in Russian supplies was supported in part by robust demand from China's independent refineries, and also by increases in supplies via a trans-Siberia pipeline.

Iraq supplies ranked third in November with shipments at 4.21 MMt, or 1.023 MMbpd. Year-to-date Iraq supplied 5.5% more oil than a year earlier at 762,900 bpd, the data showed. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Russia and other non-OPEC producers on Nov. 30 extended an oil output-cutting deal until the end of 2018 in a bid to finish clearing a supply glut. But market watchers are increasingly interested in how producers will exit the deal once the excess is cleared.

US shipments to China—which have benefited from the OPEC-led output cuts—last month came in at 1.18 MMt, or 288,260 bpd. Supplies for January-November period totaled 6.8 MMt, or 148,600 bpd.

China's total crude oil imports rebounded to the second highest on record last month to 9.01 MMbpd, with imports partially driven by a new additional batch of import quotas released to independent refiners.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Effective at the end of the Annual Shareholders’ Meeting on May 4, 2018, Dr. Martin Brudermuller (56), currently Vice Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors, will become Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of BASF SE, said the company on its web-site.

The Supervisory Board appointed Brudermuller in its meeting today. Brudermuller will succeed Dr. Kurt Bock (59), who is BASF’s Chairman since 2011 and has been a member of the Board of Executive Directors since 2003. This change will allow Bock to be elected as a member and chair of BASF’s Supervisory Board in 2020 after the end of the statutory two-years cooling-off period.

Dr. Hans-Ulrich Engel (58) was appointed as new Vice Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors. Furthermore, the Supervisory Board extended the appointments of Brudermuller, Engel and Sanjeev Gandhi (51) to the Board of Executive Directors by five years until the Annual Shareholders’ Meeting 2023. In the course of the changes, the number of Board members will be reduced from eight to seven in May 2018.

“The change next year is part of the long-term succession planning for the Supervisory Board and the Board of Executive Directors of BASF,” said Dr. Jurgen Hambrecht (71), Chairman of the Supervisory Board of BASF SE. “During the past seven years, Kurt Bock has successfully shaped the company and developed it further. We have asked him to stand for election to the Supervisory Board in 2020, so that the company can continue to benefit from his expertise and experience. With Martin Brudermuller we have again named a very competent and experienced successor from within the company."

Brudermuller was appointed as Vice Chairman in 2011. In addition, he is Chief Technology Officer of BASF SE. Brudermuller has been a member of the Board of Executive Directors since 2006. During this time, he was among others responsible for the Asia Pacific region headquartered in Hong Kong.

Engel became a member of the Board of Executive Directors in 2008 and was among others responsible for the region North America headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey. Since 2011 he is Chief Financial Officer of BASF SE.

At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. The approximately 114,000 employees in the BASF Group work on contributing to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio is organized into five segments: Chemicals, Performance Products, Functional Materials & Solutions, Agricultural Solutions and Oil & Gas. BASF generated sales of about EUR58 billion in 2016. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (BAS).
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Yeochun NCC (YNCC) is likely to undertake planned maintenance at its No.3 naphtha cracker at Yeosu, as per Apic-online.

A Polymerupdate source in South Korea informed that the company has planned to shut the cracker for a maintenance turnaround in 2018. The plant is likely to be shut in October/November 2018 for a period of around one month.

Located in Yeosu, South Korea, the No.3 cracker has an ethylene production capacity of 470,000 mt/year and propylene production capacity of 230,000 mt/year. Currently the cracker is running at full production capacity levels.

As MRC wrote before, last year, YNCC shut its 578,000 tonne/year No 2 naphtha cracker in Yeosu since 10 March for a regular maintenance. The company resumed operations on 9 April.

South Korea’s Yeochun NCC (YNCC) pyrolyzes naphtha to produce basic feedstock materials for the petrochemical industry. YNCC, a joint venture between South Korean firms Hanwha and Daelim, is a key exporter of ethylene and propylene in the country.
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