PETROCHEMICAL MARKETS

Shell declares force majeure for styrene from Moerdijk

POLYMER PRICES

Standard Thermoplastics in October 2012: Slack demand pressures polyolefins / Cost pressure eases / Only PS makes slight gain / More price concessions likely in expected slow November trading

PETROCHEMICAL MARKETS

Shell declares force majeure for ethylene from Fife

BASF / TOTAL

Port Arthur joint venture streamlines assets and adopts new name / More than 900,000 t/y of ethylene output

SHELL

Foster Wheeler wins engineering contract for Qatar MEG project

PETROCHEMICAL MARKETS

New massive propane dehydrogenation line in China / Country's propylene capacities set to triple until 2015

PETROCHEMICAL MARKETS

Follow-up: Isaac downgraded to tropical storm / US government declares some part of Louisiana disaster zones / Oil refining operations about to be restarted / Flooding and electricity problems

PETROCHEMICAL MARKETS

Follow-up: Hurricane "Isaac" approaches Louisiana / Numerous US refinery complexes shut down or operating at reduced rates

UPDATE - PETROCHEMICAL MARKETS

US hurricane season kicks off / “Isaac” threatens plants across Louisiana in particular / Numerous oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico have been evacuated / Reminiscent of “Katrina” and “Rita”

GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL

14m t of new petrochemical capacity brought on stream in 2011 / Saudi Arabia leads the pack / Regional players are setting their sights to the east / Feedstock surplus will sweep global markets in near future

PETROCHEMICAL MARKETS

Shell declares force majeure for butadiene from Moerdijk

PETROCHINA

Construction of mega-refinery joint venture project with Venezuela's PDVSA begins / Project includes two ethylene crackers

POLYMER PRICES

Standard Thermoplastics in March 2012: Significant margin improvement for PE and PVC in Q1 / Stable costs keep PS and EPS in check / Scant supply improvement / High prices dampen demand / Fresh hikes in store

US SHALE GAS

Shell signs land option agreement to evaluate Pennsylvania site for possible ethane cracker / Aither Chemicals mulling complex in West Virginia

PETROCHEMICAL MARKETS

Shell lifts force majeure for Moerdijk cracker

POLYMER PRICES

Polyurethane feedstocks in March 2012: Seasonal influences spark demand / TDI producers see triple-digit gains, MDI and polyols up by single-digit figures / Producers will seek further margin gains in April

INEOS

EPS plant in Marl to continue operations / Plans to consolidate capacities in the future?

CHINA

Dawn of the “Great Ethylene Era” / Five Year Plan calls for massive increase in domestic C2 capacities / Pinpointed regional investments / Foreign players race to form joint ventures

POLYMER PRICES

Standard Thermoplastics Trend March 2012: Polyolefin and PVC producers pursue margin improvement / Stable cost base for PS, EPS / Cracker outages tighten supply / Upward price pressure continues

POLYMER PRICES

Composites/GRP February 2012: Ortho resins again make slight gains / Momentum looks likely to hold up through H1 / Direct roving under considerable pressure / Demand stable for most products

POLYMER PRICES

Standard Thermoplastics in February 2012: Polyolefins see triple-digit rises as margins improve / PVC producers also enjoy some margin relief / Styrenics reach limit / Olefin costs will rise again in March

PETROCHEMICAL MARKETS

Shell declares force majeure for several cracker and downstream products from Moerdijk

PETROCHEMICAL MARKETS

New USD 5.5 bn complex in Qatar to start in 2018 / Asia, Africa and Latin America targeted

IRAN

Oil minister reportedly bans foreign companies from developing Iranian petrochemical projects / Likely retaliation against EU sanctions

PEOPLE

Stuart Chambers joins Rexam as chairman designate