Motiva Chemicals restarts its cracker in Port Arthur

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Motiva Chemicals has been resuming operations at its mixed-feed cracker in Port Arthur, USA, reported S&P Global.

The process of restart of this cracker with the capacity of 635,000 mt/year of ethylene and 340,000 mt/year of propylene began on 27 February, 2021, and is expected to finish late this week.

The cracker wa shut along with the refinery at the same site on 14 February, 2021, because of the deep freeze.

As MRC informed earlier, the second-largest crude distillation unit (CDU) at Motiva Enterprises 607,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) Port Arthur, Texas, refinery is operating at 80% of capacity. Motiva is preparing to restart the smallest CDU and the small coker at the refinery

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

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 2,220,640 tonnes in 2020, up by 2% year on year. Only shipments of low density polyethylene (LDPE) and high density polyethylene (HDPE) increased. At the same time, polypropylene (PP) shipments to the Russian market reached 1 240,000 tonnes in 2020 (calculated using the formula: production, minus exports, plus imports, excluding producers' inventories as of 1 January, 2020). Supply of exclusively PP random copolymer increased.

Motiva Enterprises, LLC, is a fully owned affiliate of Saudi Refining Inc. and headquartered in Houston, Texas, United States with revenue of USD24 billion. Previously, it was a 50–50 joint venture between Shell Oil Company (the wholly owned American subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell) and Saudi Refining Inc. (controlled by Saudi Aramco).
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Nghi Son Refinery and Petrochemical has reportedly restarted the troubled polypropylene (PP) plant in Vietnam over the weekend following an unexpected shutdown on 13 February 2021, reported CommoPlast.

The unit has an annual output of 370,000 tons/year.

A source close to the producer informed that the plant is currently working to stabilize the operating rate, hence still unable to supply adequate allocation at the moment.

As MRC wrote oreviously, in the third week of September 2020, NSRP restarted its PP unit in Vietnam following a 10 days unscheduled shutdown starting 7 September 2020 due to a persistent technical issue.

We also remind that Vietnam’s Nghi Son oil refinery officially began commercial production from 14 November 2018, following months of tests. The USD9 billion refinery is 35.1 percent owned by Japan’s Idemitsu Kosan Co, 35.1 percent by Kuwait Petroleum, 25.1 percent by PetroVietnam and 4.7 percent by Mitsui Chemicals Inc.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, PP shipments to the Russian market reached 1 240,000 tonnes in 2020 (calculated using the formula: production, minus exports, plus imports, excluding producers' inventories as of 1 January, 2020). Supply of exclusively PP random copolymer increased.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) - The second-largest crude distillation unit (CDU) at Motiva Enterprises 607,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) Port Arthur, Texas, refinery is operating at 80% of capacity, reported Reuters with reference to sources familiar with plant operations.

Motiva is preparing to restart the smallest CDU and the small coker at the refinery, the sources said.

Motiva did not reply to a request for comment.

The second largest of the three CDUs at the refinery is the 195,000-bpd VPS-2 CDU. The smallest CDU is the 80,000-bpd VPS-2. The small coker is the 54,000-bpd DCU-1.

The refinery was shut on Feb. 15 because of a loss of steam supply in severe cold weather along the Gulf Coast.

As MRC informed before, in H1 September, 2020. Motiva Enterprises restarted the largest and second-largest crude distillation units (CDUs), coker and hydrocracker at its 607,000 brrel-per-day (bpd) Port Arthur, Texas, refinery. The 325,000-bpd VPS-5 and 195,000-bpd VPS-4 CDUs, 110,000-bpd DCU-2 coker and 105,000-bpd HCU=2 hydrocracker were the first units that restarted as Motiva continued to bring the entire refinery, which is the nation’s largest, back into production following an Aug. 25 shutdown because of Hurricane Laura.

We remind that in the last week of August, 2020, Motiva Chemicals at Port Arthur, Texas, began shutting down light olefin operations Monday to prepare for the arrival of Tropical Storm Laura.

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

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 2,220,640 tonnes in 2020, up by 2% year on year. Only shipments of low density polyethylene (LDPE) and high density polyethylene (HDPE) increased. At the same time, polypropylene (PP) shipments to the Russian market reached 1 240,000 tonnes in 2020 (calculated using the formula: production, minus exports, plus imports, excluding producers' inventories as of 1 January, 2020). Supply of exclusively PP random copolymer increased.

Motiva Enterprises, LLC, is a fully owned affiliate of Saudi Refining Inc. and headquartered in Houston, Texas, United States with revenue of USD24 billion. Previously, it was a 50–50 joint venture between Shell Oil Company (the wholly owned American subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell) and Saudi Refining Inc. (controlled by Saudi Aramco).
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- LyondellBasell Industries is restarting the gasoline-producing fluidic catalytic cracker (FCC) after completing the restart of the large crude distillation unit (CDU) at its 263,776 barrel-per-day (bpd) Houston refinery, reported Reuters with reference to sources familiar with plant operations.

The 147,000-bpd Unit 537 CDU is the first to restart since the refinery was shut on Feb. 15 by severe cold weather. The 90,000-bpd FCC could be back in production by early next week, the sources said.

Lyondell spokesman Chevalier Gray declined comment.

Unit 537 along with the Unit 536 CDU breaks down crude oil into hydrocarbon feedstocks for all other production units in the refinery.

The FCC uses a catalyst to convert gas oil into unfinished gasoline.

As MRC wrote previously, LyondellBasell (Houston, Texas), one of the largest plastics, chemicals and refining companies in the world, reports fourth-quarter net income of USD855 million, up 40% year-over-year (YOY) from USD612 million on higher polyolefin volumes and margins. A USD147 million non-cash, lower-of-cost-or-market (LCM) inventory valuation benefit increased net income by USD119 million, or USD0.36 per share. Sales totaled USD7.937 billion, down 3.0% YOY from USD8.179 billion. Adjusted earnings per share of USD2.19 increased 15% YOY from USD1.91 and beat the consensus of USD1.31 as compiled by Zacks Investment Research.

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

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 2,220,640 tonnes in 2020, up by 2% year on year. Only shipments of low density polyethylene (LDPE) and high density polyethylene (HDPE) increased. At the same time, polypropylene (PP) shipments to the Russian market reached 1 240,000 tonnes in 2020 (calculated using the formula: production, minus exports, plus imports, excluding producers' inventories as of 1 January, 2020). Supply of exclusively PP random copolymer increased.

LyondellBasell is one of the largest plastics, chemicals and refining companies in the world. Driven by its employees around the globe, LyondellBasell produces materials and products that are key to advancing solutions to modern challenges, like enhancing food safety through lightweight and flexible packaging, protecting the purity of water supplies through stronger and more versatile pipes, improving the safety, comfort and fuel efficiency of many of the cars and trucks on the road, and ensuring the safe and effective functionality in electronics and appliances. LyondellBasell sells products into more than 100 countries and is the world"s largest producer of polymer compounds and the largest licensor of polyolefin technologies. In 2020, LyondellBasell was named to Fortune Magazine"s list of the "World"s Most Admired Companies" for the third consecutive year.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Croda International says its pretax profit decreased 10.9% in 2020, to USD375.5 million, and operating profit was 9.3% lower, said Chemweek.

Pretax profit was 1% below analysts' consensus estimate and operating profit exceeded consensus by 0.4%. Sales edged up by 0.9%, to GDP1.39 billion, driven by a recovery in fourth-quarter sales in personal care and performance technologies, and double-digit growth in life sciences in the second half of 2020. Profits reflected “an adverse mix in both personal care and performance technologies, where demand for higher-value-add products was most impacted by the pandemic,” as well as higher costs related to Croda’s M&A activity in 2020, the company says. Fourth-quarter figures have not been disclosed.

Steve Foots, CEO of Croda, says that the company’s financial performance was resilient, despite the inevitable drop in demand caused by the pandemic. “Our strong financial platform has allowed us to make further progress positioning the business to focus on the fast-growth markets of the future, capitalizing on emerging trends in existing and adjacent markets,” Foots says. “We have made significant investments to accelerate delivery of our strategy, notably the acquisitions of Avanti and Iberchem, so that life science and consumer markets now represent over 80% of Croda’s profit generation."

Life sciences posted higher sales and profit in 2020, driven by a strong performance in the health-care and seed-enhancement segments. Sales in reported currency grew by 14.6%, to GDP401.6 million and adjusted operating profit increased 21%, to GDP129.4 million. The company says that its life sciences business is moving from consumer health to patient health by accelerating innovation and organic investment to strengthen specialty excipients, vaccine adjuvants, and lipid delivery.

Sales of the company’s personal care business declined 1.9%, to GDP475.9 million, and adjusted operating profit decreased 15.8%, to GDP136.5 million. A reduction in consumer demand for products associated with "going out" and an interruption of sales channels by COVID-19 reduced the business’s sales, the company says. Croda expects “sales and profit to improve when lockdowns lift, luxury channels re-open, and with the significant cross-selling opportunities provided by the Iberchem acquisition.” The company says it is strengthening consumer care through investing in personal-care innovation to meet its customers’ sustainability requirements.

Performance technologies’ sales were down 3.2%, to GDP416.4 million due to the impact of COVID-19 especially in the second quarter of 2020, which led to temporary closures of automotive and industrial plants, the company says. In the second half of the year, the business saw steady recovery, with fourth-quarter sales “encouragingly ahead of prior year,” Croda says. Adjusted operating profit declined 22.2%, to GDP54 million. “With a recovery accompanied by growth in renewable technologies and sustainable solutions, the sector should become less cyclical as sales growth and better margin return,” the company says.

Croda says it is cautiously optimistic for 2021, but unable to provide a near-term outlook due to the continued COVID-19 restrictions and the uncertainty they create. The 2020 exit rates for the consumer-care and performance-technologies businesses were encouraging, but it remains difficult to make predictions, Croda says. Life sciences are expected to stay strong, it says. “The benefits of recovery, together with the full-year impact of Avanti, Iberchem, and our Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine contract, are expected to support profitable growth across the business,” Croda says.

As per MRC, Croda International (Goole, UK) says it has entered a partnership with Sentient Science (Buffalo, New York), an asset management and software services company, for the recommended use of Croda’s Rewitec additives for wind turbine gearboxes and main bearings.

We remind, Croda says it has completed the acquisition of the entire issued share capital of flavors and fragrances company Iberchem Group (Murcia, Spain) from investment company Eurazeo.

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

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 2,220,640 tonnes in 2020, up by 2% year on year. Only shipments of low density polyethylene (LDPE) and high density polyethylene (HDPE) increased. At the same time, polypropylene (PP) shipments to the Russian market reached 1 240,000 tonnes in 2020 (calculated using the formula: production, minus exports, plus imports, excluding producers" inventories as of 1 January, 2020). Supply of exclusively PP random copolymer increased.
MRC