Russian seaborne diesel exports fell by 20% in early October

Russia's seaborne diesel and gasoil exports fell by 20% to about 1.1 million metric tons in the first 15 days of October from the same period in September due to ongoing seasonal maintenance of refineries and a fuel export ban, data from traders and LSEG showed, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

Idle primary oil refining capacity for October is estimated at 4.0 million tons, down 22% from September, according to Reuters calculations. Russia temporarily banned exports of gasoline and ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) from Sept. 21 to cope with a domestic market shortage, although gasoil and marine diesel export shipments were allowed.

The embargo was partially lifted from Oct. 9, with Russia resuming ULSD seaborne exports. Due to the export ban, diesel loadings via the Russian Baltic port of Primorsk, the country's biggest outlet for exports of ULSD, have fallen in the first 15 days of October by 22% from the same period in September to 330,000 metric tons.

So far in October, Turkey remains the top destination for diesel exports from Russian ports, taking about 25% of total supplies, or nearly 280,000 metric tons, LSEG shipping data showed. Diesel loadings from Russia to Brazil have totaled about 211,000 metric tons since the start of this month - down by 20% from Sept. 1-15.

According to LSEG data, the leading importers of Russian diesel in Africa so far this month have been Togo (72,000 metric tons), Tunisia (66,000 metric tons) and Libya (65,000 metric tons). About 120,000 tons of Russian diesel are destined since the start of this month for ship-to-ship (STS) loadings near Malta and the Greek port of Kalamata.

Another 90,000 tons of diesel loaded in Russian ports in October does not yet have a confirmed destination. All the shipping data above is based on the date of cargo departure.

We remind, Pemex’s production of aromatics, ethane, propylene, and sulphur fell in the first quarter, year on year, but methane output rose strongly. The rise in production of methane and its derivatives helped overall petrochemicals production to remain mostly flat, with 319,000 tonnes produced during the first quarter, down by 0.62% year on year.

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Evonik is extending its portfolio of elastomeric materials for powder bed fusion 3D printing technologies, said the company.

The specialty chemicals company is launching with INFINAM® TPA 4006 P a new powder grade that is especially optimized for all types of open source SLS 3D printing machines. Evonik will present its new flexible material during the Formnext trade show, Frankfurt am Main Germany, November 7-10, 2023 in hall 12.1 at booth C39.

INFINAM® TPA 4006 P is a PA12 elastomer consisting of polyamide 12 segments and softening segments and is characterized by rubber-like properties and outstanding impact strength and thus excellent rebound behavior.

Evonik’s new 3D printing elastomer features high process stability and excellent powder flow properties making it perfectly suitable for all types of SLS technologies available on the market today. Furthermore, the new fine powder can be manufactured with reusability rates of 50/50 virgin vs. used material.

We remind, Evonik Coating Additives is expanding its TEGO® Rad range of tailor-made silicone acrylates with a unique, radically crosslinkable additive for radiation-curing coatings and inks. Ideal for excellent wetting and slip with low foaming, the new TEGO® Rad 2330 is designed for use in a wide range of inks and varnish applications as well as clear and pigmented wood coatings.

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SK Chemicals and Shanghai Yuekun Environmental Protection Technlogy (Lovere) have inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the joint development of plastic waste recycling business in Guangdong, China, said the company.

Lovere and its subsidiary ATRenew collects and recycles 420,000 tonnes/y of household waste in 37 cities in China. Under the deal, SK Chemicals intends to develop a waste plastic collection and sorting business with Lovere in China.

The companies have come to secure waste PET through joint investment.

We remind, SK Chemicals and Ottogi are actively taking the lead in reducing carbon emissions by applying 100% circular recycled materials to food containers for the first time in Korea. SK chemicals announced on the 5th that it applied 100% of its circular recycled PET (CR-PET) to Ottogi's renewed pork cutlet and steak sauce packaging.

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The chief executive of oil giant Saudi Aramco, said on Tuesday this year's COP28 U.N. climate conference should focus on cutting emissions from hydrocarbons, rather than reducing their production, said Reuters.

CEO Amin Nasser was speaking at the Energy Intelligence Forum in London, ahead of the climate conference which is due to begin in Dubai on Nov. 30. "The focus should be on emissions. Today the focus is not purely on emissions, it is: we need to either shut or slow down big time your conventional (energy)," Nasser said.

Renewables alone cannot shoulder the burden of global energy demand, he said, adding that cuts to oil and gas production would result in energy shortages and price spikes. The focus should be on adding carbon capture and storage and improving the efficiency of hydrocarbon production to reduce their emissions, Nasser said.

On Monday, climate ministers from the European Union said they would push for a world-first deal to phase out CO2-emitting fossil fuels at COP28. However, countries are far from bridging the gap between those demanding a deal to phase out fossil fuels and nations insisting on preserving a role for coal, oil and natural gas.

Scientists say the world needs to cut greenhouse gas emissions by around 43% by 2030 from 2019 levels to stand any chance of meeting the 2015 Paris Agreement goal of keeping warming well below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels.

We remind, private Russian oil producer Lukoil will lend Azeri state oil firm Socar $1.5 B as part of a broader deal that will allow Socar's 200,000-barrel-per-day Turkish STAR refinery to process Russian crude again. The deal will give Lukoil another customer in close proximity to Russian ports after most European refiners stopped importing its crude to comply with European Union sanctions imposed after Moscow launched what it calls a "special military operation" in Ukraine in 2022.

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A group representing General Motors, Toyota Motor, Volkswagen and nearly all other major automakers sharply criticized the Biden administration proposal to drastically hike fuel efficiency requirements, said Reuters.

The Alliance for Automotive Innovation said the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) proposal was unreasonable and requested significant revisions.

The industry group argued the plan would boost average vehicle prices by $3,000 by 2032 because of penalties automakers would face for not being in compliance, adding the figure "exceeds reason and will increase costs to the American consumer with absolutely no environmental or fuel savings benefits."

NHTSA in July proposed boosting requirements by 2% per year for passenger cars and 4% per year for pickup trucks and SUVs from 2027 through 2032, resulting in a fleet-wide average fuel efficiency of 58 miles (93 km) per gallon.

The American Automotive Policy Council, a group representing the Detroit Three automakers, separately on Monday urged NHTSA to halve its proposed fuel economy increases to 2% annually for trucks, saying the proposal "would disproportionately impact the truck fleet."

The group noted 83% of vehicles produced by Ford, GM and Chrysler parent Stellantis are trucks.

The White House and NHTSA did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The auto alliance said last month automakers would face more than $14 B in non-compliance penalties between 2027 and 2032.

U.S. automakers separately have warned the fines would cost GM $6.5 billion, Stellantis $3 B and Ford $1 B. Automakers also raised alarm at the Energy Department's proposal to significantly revise how it calculates the petroleum-equivalent fuel economy rating for EVs in NHTSA's CAFE program, saying it would "devalue the fuel economy of electric vehicles by 72%."

GM said on Monday it could support NHTSA's proposal if the Energy Department rescinded its petroleum-equivalent proposal.

We remind, private Russian oil producer Lukoil will lend Azeri state oil firm Socar $1.5 B as part of a broader deal that will allow Socar's 200,000-barrel-per-day Turkish STAR refinery to process Russian crude again. The deal will give Lukoil another customer in close proximity to Russian ports after most European refiners stopped importing its crude to comply with European Union sanctions imposed after Moscow launched what it calls a "special military operation" in Ukraine in 2022.

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