European PP prices significantly increased in CIS markets in June

MOSCOW (MRC) - June contract price of propylene in Europe was agreed up EUR80/tonne from the level of May, as a result, European producers proportionally raised export prices for certain types of polypropylene for supplies to CIS markets in June, according to the ICIS-MRC Price Report.

In some cases, however, PP prices were increased by EUR90/tonne in comparison with the level of May.
Negotiations on June European PP prices began this week, and most likely all deals will be agreed by the end of the week.

All market participants reported an increase in the June export prices for propylene polymers from all producers, with the highest price increase seen in the segment of homopolymer PP (up by EUR70-90/tonne compared to the level of May).

Deals on June homopolymer PP were discussed in the range of EUR1190-1245/tonne FCA, while the deals for May shipment were agreed in the range of EUR1120-1155/tonne FCA. Some producers have been keeping export restrictions for the third consecutive month for injection moulding homopolymer PP.

Deals for PP block copolymers were discussed in the range of EUR1250-1300/tonne FCA, up EUR40-50/tonne from the May level.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- US technology and chemical company W.R. Grace has licensed its Unipol PP process for Inter Pipeline’s Heartland petrochemical complex in Alberta, Canada, as per Chemanager-online.

Inter Pipeline is building the country’s first integrated propane dehydrogenation (PDH) and PP complex, which will convert locally sourced, low-cost propane into 525,000 t/y of PP. The complex, to cost roughly USD3.5 billion, will be located in Strathcona County, near Inter Pipeline’s existing Redwater olefinic fractionator.

Propane feedstock will be sourced from the Redwater fractionator as well as several other third-party fractionators in the region. Detailed engineering for the PDH plant was awarded to Fluor Corp. in 2013 and construction of this unit started in February.

Germany’s Linde Engineering was awarded in 2017 the front end engineering design (FEED) contract for the PP plant, and construction on this facility is scheduled to begin in the second half of 2018.Completion of the complex is scheduled for late 2021.

According to Grace, Unipol is the simplest of all PP processes,with no moving parts inside the reactor and less equipment than alternative technologies, resulting in lower capital, operating and maintenance costs.

David Chappell, senior vice president of petrochemical development at Inter Pipeline, said the technology provides tremendous flexibility to quickly and cost effectively meet customers’ requirements.

W.R. Grace granted a Unipol license last July for another PP plant being built in Canada by Canada Kuwait Petrochemical Corp, a 50:50 joint venture between Pembina Pipeline and Kuwait’s Petrochemical Industries Company. The PDH/PP integrated facility will be built in Sturgeon County, Alberta and produce 550,000 t/y of PP resins.?
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) – Honeywell announced a software solution to provide cybersecurity to industrial customers who manage diverse process control networks, sites and vendors, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

As customers continue their digital transformation and their industrial sites become more connected, integrating cybersecurity has become even more critical.

The multi-site solution for cybersecurity management is based on Honeywell’s ICS Shield™, which provides a top-down operational technology (OT) security management solution for securing connected industrial control system (ICS) environments with multiple physical sites and multiple automation equipment types. It also enables secure management of remote field assets through a single security operations center. Honeywell integrated and enhanced ICS Shield technology following its acquisition of Nextnine in 2017, and the solution has become the ICS cybersecurity platform of choice with more than 1 million industrial nodes managed globally.

"With industrial companies connecting operations worldwide to drive greater efficiencies, there’s a real need for multi-site cybersecurity technologies designed for ICS environments," said Jeff Zindel, vice president and general manager of Honeywell Industrial Cybersecurity. "As a trusted partner to critical infrastructure providers for more than 50 years, Honeywell offers an industry-proven solution for enterprise-wide cybersecurity with a secure, vendor-agnostic approach that strengthens industrial cybersecurity defenses and lowers operational risks."

For companies facing internal cybersecurity skills and resource shortages, Honeywell Managed Security Services can help install, configure, and continually manage ICS Shield, allowing customers to focus on running their operations. Servicing more than 400 customers worldwide, Managed Security Services provide secure remote access, automated patching, continuous monitoring and incident response along with firewall and intrusion detection system management capabilities. These services expedite the ability of industrial companies to close major security gaps, and unlike pure IT solutions, ensure that industrial security experts carefully balance manufacturing and production priorities with security requirements. In addition, knowledge transfer from Honeywell experts improves customers’ cybersecurity capabilities in the long term.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- McDermott International, Inc. participated in a groundbreaking ceremony on a previously announced ethane cracker project in Port Arthur, Texas, with its customer for the project Bayport Polymers LLC ("Bay-Pol"), a joint venture of Total Petrochemicals & Refining USA, Inc., and Novealis Holdings LLC (a joint venture of Borealis AG and NOVA Chemicals Inc.), as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The scope of work on the project includes the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) for the cracker that will have an ethylene capacity of 1,000 Kta (kilo tonnes per annum). McDermott previously provided front-end engineering and design (FEED) services for this project. McDermott is also providing the ethylene technology license and will supply SRT-III® (Short Residence Time) pyrolysis heaters for the cracker.

"This project for Bay-Pol is an excellent example of our end-to-end capabilities," said Richard Heo, Senior Vice President for North, Central and South America. "Bay-Pol and its members licensed our technology and selected us to undertake the FEED for this project, and now we are providing full EPC as well as supplying our proprietary heaters. Our ability to provide all of these services throughout the major phases of a petrochemical project provides tremendous value to our customers."
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- The Philippines’ energy ministry plans to import initially about 240 million liters of diesel, equivalent to three days of the country’s requirements, from Russia and other non-OPEC countries for stockpiling purposes, reported Reuters.

The southeast Asian country is looking to establish what it calls a “strategic petroleum reserve” that it can tap if and when fuel supply tightens in the world market.

The reserve will complement the minimum inventory requirement that oil companies such as Petron Corp, Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp and other local retailers must comply with, the Department of Energy (DoE) said.

The DoE requires oil companies to maintain a minimum inventory of in-country stocks equivalent to 30 days of crude and products for refiners, 15 days of products for importers/bulk suppliers, and seven days of liquefied petroleum gas stocks for LPG sellers.

Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi has directed a unit of state-owned Philippine National Oil Co (PNOC), PNOC Exploration Corp, to start negotiations with Russia for diesel supply, his spokesman Felix William Fuentebella told a media briefing.

Fuentebella said the initial volume of diesel imports by PNOC Exploration is too small to prompt local oil companies to lower their pump prices.

However, he said the plan is to make the PNOC unit, which is primarily engaged in oil exploration, into an oil trader and retailer, and the DOE hopes such transformation can create a "ripple effect" in the industry.

President Rodrigo Duterte’s foreign policy has led to alliances with both China and Russia while the Philippines maintains ties with traditional ally the United States.

The policy has resulted in discussions between Manila and Moscow on cooperation agreements in law enforcement and defense as well as in energy.

About 6.9 percent of the Philippines’ crude oil imports in 2017 came from Russia, DoE data showed. Nearly 90 percent was sourced from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Oman.
MRC