ABS imports to Ukrainian market up by 85% in Jan 2020

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Overall imports of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) to the Ukrainian market rose in the first month of 2020 by 85% year on year, according to MRC's DataScope report.


Thus, imports of material into Ukraine were 473 tonnes during the stated period, whereas this figure was at 255 tonnes in January 2019.

However, ABS imports into the country decreased by 11% year on year from December 2019 (534 tonnes). Imports of material to the Ukrainian market have continue to decrease for four consecutive months.

South Korea is the largest ABS supplier into the region. The share of Korean material in the total shipments fell significantly in January 2020 to 30% year on year (143 tonnes) from 71% a year earlier (182 tonnes), with Lotte shipments totalling 97 tonnes, and LG Chem's imports - only 47 tonnes.

MRC

Ukrainian EPS imports grow by 37% in Jan 2020

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Last month's imports of expandable polystyrene (EPS) into Ukraine rose by 37% year on year, totalling 2,100 tonnes, according to MRC's DataScope report.

This figure was at 1,500 tonnes in January 2019.

Imports of this polystyrene (PS) grade have continued to increase for the third month in a row after a sharp drop in October. Imports of material were 1,700 tonnes in December 2019.

The share of Russian material has grown significantly in the total shipments since the beginning of the year, accounting for 79% (1,700 tonnes), compared to 19% (300 tonnes) a year earlier. At the same time, Chinese EPS shipments slumped, totalling only 8% (200 tonnes) over the stated period, compared to 74% (1,100 tonnes) in January 2019.
MRC

JG Summit to restart cracker after maintenance

MOSCOW (MRC) -- JG Summit Holdings, a major petrochemical producer in the Philippines, is due to restart its sole naphtha cracker in the Philippines at the beginning of this week (24-25 February) after major maintenance works, reported CommoPlast with reference to market sources.

The maintenance shutdown took place on 6 October 2019.

During the overhaul, the company also expanded the cracker to add another 160,000 tons/year of ethylene and 50,000 tons of propylene to the existing output. The total production at the cracker increased to 480,000 tons/year of ethylene and 240,000 tons/year of propylene.

we remind that in November 2017, JG Summit Olefins Corp. awarded an engineering, procurement and construction contract to Posco Engineering & Construction to expand an existing naphtha cracker and build a hydrogenation unit in Simlong, Batangas, Philippines.

Ethylene and propylene are feedstocks for producing polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP).

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 2,093,260 tonnes in 2019, up by 6% year on year. Shipments of all PE grades increased. PE shipments rose from both domestic producers and foreign suppliers. The estimated PP consumption in the Russian market was 1,260,400 tonnes in January-December 2019, up by 4% year on year. Supply of almost all grades of propylene polymers increased, except for statistical copolymers of propylene (PP random copolymers).
MRC

Imports of injection moulding PET chips increased by 37% in January in Ukraine

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Imports of bottle grade polyethylene terephthalate (PET) in Ukraine dropped by 37% year on year to 12,500 tonnes in January from 9,100 tonnes a year earlier, according to MRC's DataScope report.

In December of the previous year, shipments of PET chips were 9,400 tonnes. Deliveries of Chinese bottle grade PET to the Ukrainian market fell to the two times in January amounted to 3,100 tonnes compared to 7,000 tonnes in January last year. Imports were at 4,700 tonnes in December 2019. The share of imports from China in the total volume amounted to 50% in January against 77% in January 2019.

The key suppliers of injection moulding Chinese PET chips to the Ukrainian market were producers Dragon, China Resources Chemicals and Yisheng Petrochemical.
Nevertheless, the import of injection moulding PET chips from Lithuania by Neo Group grew four times in January compared to the same period last year and reached the maximum value of the last ten years - 7,300 tonnes. This figure was 1,800 tonnes in January 2019.

In December last year, the volume of external supplies from Lithuania to Ukraine was at the level of 3,800 tonnes. The total volume of Lithuanian PET imports to the country increased to 59% in January 2020 against 40% in December last year. In January 2019, the share of imports was at about 20%. The main buyers of Lithuanian bottled PET were Coca-Cola Beverages Ukraine Limited and Retal.
MRC

Petro Rabigh to shut LDPE plant for maintenance in late February

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Saudi Arabia’s Rabigh Refining and Petrochemical (Petro Rabigh) is planning to shut its low density polyethylene (LDPE) plant in Rabigh, Saudi Arabia for maintenance in late February, 2020, reported NCT with reference to sources familiar with the matter.

At present the restart dates of this LDPE plant with the capacity of 160,000 tons/year could not be ascertained.

Petro Rabigh also operates No. 1 and 2 linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) units at the same location with a combined capacty of 600,000 tons/year.

Besides, the company has here a 300,000 tons/year high density polyethylene (HDPE) unit.

Sources also said they expect no impact on supplies during the shutdown.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, December estimated LDPE consumption virtually remained in Russia at the level of November - about 54,580 tonnes. Lower imports were offset by a decrease in export sales. Russia's estimated LDPE consumption totalled 593,660 tonnes in 2019, up by 9% year on year. Some producers' LDPE exports decreased, whereas imports grew by 25%.

PetroRabigh, a joint venture between Saudi Aramco and Japan's Sumitomo Chemical, has an annual output capacity of 18 million tonnes of refined products and 2.4 million tonnes of petrochemicals. Thus, the complex currently has a cracker to produce 1.6-million t/y of ethylene, as well as downstream production of polyethylene, polypropylene, propylene oxide, ethylene glycol and butene-1.
MRC