Saudi SABIC affiliate Yansab says plant shutdown impact estimated at USD40mln

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Saudi Arabia's Yanbu National Petrochemical Company (Yansab) said the temporary shutdown of its plants, which started on August 14, 2023, will continue for another 11 days, said Zawya.

Currently, the necessary repairs are being carried out to resolve the technical glitch, Yansab said in a statement to the Saudi stock exchange on Monday. The petrochemical company is a subsidiary of the Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC).

The expected financial impact of the shutdown is estimated at 150 million Saudi riyals (USD39.99 million). The impact will be reflected in the company's financial statements for the third and fourth quarters of 2023.

Yansab shares closed slightly lower at SAR 43.5 on Tadawul on Monday.

We remind, Yanbu National Petrochemical Co (Yansab) posted a 90.5% year-on-year drop in its second quarter net profit amid lower average sales prices. Q2 net profit was also weighed by lower production and sales volumes, Yansab said in a filing on the Saudi stock exchange, Tadawul. Average prices for its products fell by 30% year on year in the second quarter while sales volumes were down by 34%. For the first six months of this year, the company's net loss was attributed to lower production and sales volumes as a result of "preventive maintenance" at its production complex, Yansab said.

Yansab, a subsidiary of chemicals major SABIC, operates a production complex in Yanbu in western Saudi Arabia which can produce around 4.4m tonnes/year of various products including ethylene, propylene, monoethylene glycol (MEG), high density polyethylene (HDPE), linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) and polypropylene (PP).

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MOSCOW (MRC) -- S&P Global Ratings has downgraded the credit rating of titanium dioxide (TiO2) producer Kronos Worldwide due to weaker-than-expected financial performance in three consecutive quarters, said the agency.

The credit rating was downgraded by two notches, from B to CCC+. The rating of senior secured notes was downgraded from BB- to B. The downgrades resulted from ongoing weakness in operating performance, as well as expectations for weak global macroeconomic demand.

S&P expects lingering weakness in demand in H2 2023, as well as downward pricing. North American TiO2 contracts settled lower in Q3. S&P's downgrade also occurred following minimal adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) from Kronos thus far in 2023, and lower sales and higher production costs have continued.

TiO2 prices have fallen modestly, and sales volumes have declined across multiple end-use markets. Additionally, there were curtailments at production units, as TiO2 output was lowered to meet the slower demand levels.

S&P notes that since Kronos has notable liquidity, including about $170m in cash and cash equivalents, the company does have some protection. However, unlike fully integrated producers such as Tronox, Kronos is dependent on third parties to meet chloride process feedstocks. Therefore, it is in a more vulnerable position than some peers to increased volatility from feedstock prices.

Kronos is a TiO2 producer headquartered in Dallas, Texas, US. TiO2 is used as a white powder pigment in products such as paints, coatings, plastics, paper, inks, fibres, food and cosmetics.

We remind, Kronos Bio Inc, a company dedicated to transforming the lives of those affected by cancer, reported on 8 Aug 2023 its recent business progress and 2Q 2023 financial results. With its ongoing and currently planned clinical programmes and $219.7 M in cash, cash equivalents and investments as of 30 Jun 2023, the company reiterates its expected cash runway into 2H 2025. Research and development (R&D) expenses were $22.7 M for 2Q 2023, which includes non-cash stock-based compensation expense of $3.1 M.

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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Kureha Corporation announced its plan to increase production capacity for polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) at its Iwaki Factory in Fukushima, Japan, said the company.

PVDF is used as a binder material for lithium-ion batteries (LiBs) and as an engineering plastic in various industrial applications. In recent years, as electric vehicles rapidly expand on the back of heightened environmental awareness, demand for LiB binder is robust and growing in the automotive market.

The Kureha Group currently manufactures PVDF at the Iwaki Factory in Japan (6,000 tons/year) and its wholly-owned subsidiary in China (5,000 tons/year). To address growing customer demand and further expand the PVDF business, which is the most promising business at the Group, Kureha will undertake a capacity expansion project as outlined below. This project involves technologies to reduce the impact of manufacturing operations on the environment and is carried out with the Group's largest-ever investment.

New PVDF manufacturing facility: Location: Kureha Iwaki Factory (16 Ochiai, Nishiki-cho, Iwaki-shi, Fukushima, Japan) Assets to be acquired: Building and equipment. Completion of facility construction: March, 2026. Production capacity: 8,000 tons /year.

Paid-in capital: Approx. JPY 70 billion. Under the new mid- and long-term management plan 'Toward Creating a New Future,' Kureha has an expansion strategy, focusing on the Advanced Materials, in particular, PVDF, which is positioned as a key growth driver.

In addition to building the above new manufacturing facility, which will become operational a few years later, Kureha will until then implement measures to improve earnings in the business, such as debottlenecking and improving capacity at its existing facilities, developing new polymer grades, and strengthening and optimizing its global supply system. Kureha has been qualified to receive government grands for the above expansion project.

We remind, Solvay, a global market leader in high-performance polymer and composite materials, has signed a multi-million euro agreement with long-term partner Agru, a leader in engineered polymer applications, for the supply of high-purity Solef polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF). With this multi-year contract, Agru secures the reliable supply of Solef PVDF for the manufacture of ultra-pure water piping systems used in the growing semiconductor industry.

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MOSCOW (MRC) -- A cargo of Iranian crude oil that was seized by the United States was unloading on Sunday after waiting two-and-a-half months off the coast of Texas to discharge, ship tracking data showed, said Reuters.

Suez Rajan, a Marshall Islands-flagged tanker, has been anchored off Galveston, Texas, about 50 miles (80 km) outside of Houston, since May 30, unable to unload because commercial agents fear any vessel that takes it will be shunned by customers.

But on Sunday, the Liberia-flagged tanker MR Euphrates was lined up next to Suez Rajan to perform a ship-to-ship transfer and remove the crude oil, according to ship tracking data on Refinitiv Eikon. The U.S. Department of Justice, Coast Guard and Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Suez Rajan, a Suezmax vessel, requires a shipping company to transfer the crude to smaller ships, as its size and weight restrict it from directly entering the port. Iran has meanwhile threatened retaliation against any company unloading Iranian oil from the seized tanker.

U.S. lawmakers have urged President Joe Biden and members of his administration to resolve the delay in the transfer of the cargo. They estimated the oil on the 800,000-bbl tanker is worth USD56 MM.

"Finally, after months of delay, the Biden administration has listened to my bipartisan call for action and signaled to Iran that the United States will not be complacent in the face of Iranian threats," said U.S. Senator Joni Ernst, Republican of Iowa, in a emailed statement to Reuters on Sunday.

U.S. seizures of Iranian oil contribute money to the U.S. Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund, which compensates victims of attacks. A fund official has determined there are insufficient assets for a round of payments next year to the nearly 16,000 Americans.

We remind, Spot discounts for Russian crude for September loading have started to deepen as India, a key customer of Moscow, reduces purchases due to high prices and maintenance outages at some refineries, four traders and Indian refinery officials said. India is the top buyer for Russian Urals crude this year and slowing demand from the world's third-largest importer could push more supply to China instead.

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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Credit watchdog Moody's Investors Service has cut the ratings of Thailand's PTT Global Chemical Public Company (PTTGC) because of the company's relatively high debt and weak global demand for petrochemicals, said the agency.

PTTGC’s leverage has been driven by weak earnings over the past 12 months, combined with the primarily debt-funded acquisition of resin producer Allnex Holding GmbH, Moody’s said. PTTGC completed the €4bn acquisition of Germany-based Allnex in December 2021.

PTTGC's ability to reduce borrowings through internal cash flows over the next 12-18 months will likely continue to be hampered by “challenging industry conditions” that will pressure petrochemical margins, the agency said. Demand for petrochemicals will likely remain soft as global economic growth slows this year and remains subdued in 2024.

At the same time, petrochemical supply will grow significantly this year as new capacities come on stream, Moody’s said. According to Moody’s, PTTGC's leverage, as measured by debt/earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA), was close to 21.0x during the 12 months ended June 2023.

Moody’s cut the issuer rating for PTTGC to Baa3, from Baa2, along with the ratings on unsecured notes issued by GC Treasury Center Company (GCTC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of PTTGC.

We remind, PTT Global Chemical swung into a net loss of baht (BT) 5.6bn (USD159m) in the second quarter of 2023 as product prices tracked the slump in upstream crude prices amid global recession and petrochemical overcapacity concerns. Crude prices in Q2 last year had spiked above USD100/bbl on supply concerns following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in late February 2022.

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