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Speciality Chemicals03-Oct-2024
SINGAPORE (ICIS)–LANXESS is selling its
urethane systems business to Japanese chemicals
producer UBE Corp for around €500 million, the
German specialty chemicals firm said on
Thursday.
“With this transaction LANXESS exits the last
remaining polymer business,” the company said
in a statement.
The enterprise value of the deal amounts to
€460 million, with expected proceeds of around
€500 million, it said.
The urethane systems business comprises five
manufacturing sites globally as well as
application laboratories in the US, Europe and
China.
UBE will take over the business, which has
around 400 employees and generated sales of
around €250 million in the year to June 2024.
LANXESS expects the transaction to close in the
first half of 2025.
“The sale of Urethane Systems marks another
milestone in our fast transformation into a
pure-play specialty chemicals company, as we
are divesting the last remaining polymer
business in our portfolio,” said Matthias
Zacher, chairman of the board of management of
LANXESS.
“At the same time, we are using the proceeds
from the transaction to strengthen our balance
sheet by further reducing our net debt,” he
added.
(Updates throughout)
Thumbnail photo: LANXESS’ Cologne, Germany
headquarters (Source: LANXESS)
Speciality Chemicals03-Oct-2024
SINGAPORE (ICIS)–LANXESS is selling its
urethane systems business to Japanese firm UBE
Corp in a deal worth around €500 million, the
German specialty chemicals firm said on
Thursday.
“With this transaction LANXESS exits the last
remaining polymer business.”
The enterprise value of the deal amounts to
€460 million with expected proceeds of around
€500 million, the company said in a statement.
LANXESS expects the transaction to close in the
first half of 2025.
Diammonium Phosphate02-Oct-2024
HOUSTON (ICIS)–Australian fertilizer firm
Minbos Resources, who is advancing the Cabinda
Phosphate project in Angola, announced the $14
million loan facility agreement with the
International Development Corporation of South
Africa Limited (IDC) has been executed.
The company said the loan proposal is awaiting
credit committee approval, which it said is
proceeding favorably, with the completion of
the documentation and the normal legal and
regulatory processes expected to take several
months.
“The company is now in a great funding position
with a complementary mix of funding solutions
to advance the Cabinda Phosphate project. It is
wonderful to have the support of the South
African IDC for this important project in
Sub-Saharan Africa,” said Lindsay Reed, Minbos
Resources managing director.
“We are receiving tremendous support from some
of Angola’s most important banking and
investment institutions, which is a testament
to the project’s importance for agriculture in
Angola. I would like to thank all parties for
their continued support in our endeavors.”
The Cabinda project, located in northeast
Angola, is being developed based on an initial
name plate capacity of 150,000 tonnes/year of
enhanced phosphate rock with initial production
calculated at 50,000 tonnes/year.
Previously Minbos said expansion will come in
two stages with it planning to add a second and
third granulation circuit to reach a name plate
capacity of 450,000 tonnes/year after 8 years
of operations.
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Speciality Chemicals02-Oct-2024
HOUSTON (ICIS)–Negotiations have yet to resume
between union dock workers and the US Gulf and
East Coast ports as a costly strike enters its
second day.
The International Longshoremen’s Association
(ILA), representing dock workers at ports from
Maine to Texas, and the United States Maritime
Alliance (USMX), representing the ports, posted
statements to their websites accusing each
other of being unwilling to negotiate.
“We have demonstrated a commitment to doing our
part to end the completely avoidable ILA
strike,” USMX said. “Our current offer of a
nearly 50% wage increase exceeds every other
recent union settlement, while addressing
inflation, and recognizing the ILA’s hard work
to keep the global economy running. We look
forward to hearing from the union about how we
can return to the table and actually bargain,
which is the only way to reach a resolution.”
The ILA responded by saying the USMX offer
fails to address the demands of union labor.
“They might claim a significant increase, but
they conveniently omit that many of our members
are operating multi-million-dollar
container-handling equipment for a mere $20 an
hour,” the ILA said. “In some states, the
minimum wage is already $15. Furthermore, our
members endure a grueling six-year wage
progression before they can even reach the top
wage tier, regardless of how many hours they
work or the effort they put in.”
One of the biggest sticking points remains the
union’s steadfast stance against any kind of
automation at the ports – full or semi – that
would replace jobs or historical work
functions.
“We will not accept the loss of work and
livelihood for our members due to automation,”
the ILA said. “Our position is clear: the
preservation of jobs and historical work
functions is non-negotiable.”
FMC OFFERS SERVICES
With carriers already announcing congestion
surcharges, the US Federal Maritime Commission
(FMC) is offering assistance for enforcement
and litigation services that individuals and
companies could find helpful in seeking relief
from current supply chain challenges.
FMC regulations require that demurrage and
detention fees serve as legitimate financial
incentives to encourage cargo movement.
Pursuant to these requirements, the FMC will
scrutinize any demurrage and detention charges
assessed during terminal closures.
The FMC advised all regulated entities on 23
September that all statutes and regulations
administered by the commission remain in effect
during any terminal closures related to the
strike.
GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION
REQUESTED
Meanwhile, the American Chemistry Council (ACC)
and the Alliance for Chemical Distribution
(ACD) continue to request government
intervention to end the work stoppage.
“We urge the White House to do everything
possible to prevent this major shockwave from
rippling through the American supply chain and
hurting US trade by working with both parties
to resume contract negations,” Chris Jahn, ACC
president and CEO, said.
Jahn noted that about 90% of the waterborne
chemical shipments that move in and out of the
US flow through the East Coast and US Gulf
Coast ports.
Eric R Byer, president and CEO of the Alliance
for Chemical Distribution (ACD) also urged
President Joe Biden to act.
“ACD urges the Biden Administration to swiftly
intervene to resolve this strike by reopening
the ports and getting both sides to reach an
agreement to prevent further supply chain
disruptions and avoid significant economic
consequences,” Byer said.
Biden, in a statement released last night, said
he supports the collective bargaining process
as the best way for workers to get the pay and
benefits they deserve and urged USMX to return
to the bargaining table with a fair offer.
“Ocean carriers have made record profits since
the pandemic and in some cases, profits grew in
excess of 800% compared to their profits prior
to the pandemic,” Biden said. “Executive
compensation has grown in line with those
profits and profits have been returned to
shareholders at record rates. It is only fair
that workers, who put themselves at risk during
the pandemic to keep ports open, see a
meaningful increase in their wages as well.”
Biden also said his administration will be
watching for any price gouging activity that
benefits foreign ocean carriers, including
those on the USMX board.
IMPACTS TO CHEM MARKETS
The strike is already affecting the US
chemicals industry, with PE exports to Brazil
being put on hold.
The polyvinyl chloride (PVC) Industry is
concerned as all US Gulf PVC exports move out
of one of the impacted East Coast ports.
In the polyethylene terephthalate (PET) market,
imports of PET resins have already been
diverted to the US West Coast in anticipation
of the work stoppage.
Focus story by Adam Yanelli
Visit the ICIS Logistics – impact on
chemicals and energy topic
page
Thumbnail image shows a container
ship.
Potassium Chloride (MOP)02-Oct-2024
HOUSTON (ICIS)–Fertilizer developer American
Potash announced the US Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) has approved their plan of
operations at the Green River project in Utah,
including issuing 11 prospecting permits and
authorizing four exploratory drill holes.
The company now has federal potash exploration
permits and has a total of 7 exploratory drill
holes authorized and is positioned for
confirmation drilling, with expectations that
will validate a high-grade potash potential
estimated to be between 600 million to 1
billion tonnes of sylvinite.
Another outcome is American Potash intends to
establish an initial resource for not only
potash but also lithium and potential
by-products.
The project is located 20 miles northwest of
Moab, Utah, within the state’s Paradox Basin,
which is one of only eight designated potash
Super Basins globally with a long history of
potash production.
The company said recent development work has
also validated the location’s potential as one
of the largest domestic sources of lithium in
the US.
“This is a huge step for the company and the
culmination of a process lasting several years.
It positions the company to be able to drive
forward with its business plan to confirm and
validate historic data and targets, and to
leverage the benefit of nearby production and
neighboring development work, through the
drill-bit,” said Simon Clarke, American Potash
president and CEO.
“We now have complete coverage for potash and
lithium exploration across our acreage at a
time when global events are driving home the
need for domestic sources of potash and lithium
to secure food and energy independence. We are
now positioned to fully validate the strategic
potential of our Green River project.”
Polypropylene02-Oct-2024
LONDON (ICIS)–Underlying demand for European
recycled agglomerates has increased throughout
2024, and is expected to rise sharply as
pyrolysis-based chemical recycling scales.
The majority of recycled polyolefin
agglomerates are currently used by mechanical
recyclers. Nevertheless, pyrolysis based
chemical recyclers are increasingly targeting
agglomerates as a feedstock.
While chemical recycling can process waste
types that it would be difficult or impossible
for mechanical recyclers to use, though, it is
a myth that there is no link between the input
waste quality and output quality of chemical
recyclers, and that chemical recyclers can use
any form of waste.
Take pyrolysis-based chemical recycling as an
example. Pyrolysis-based plants targeting mixed
plastic waste as feedstock – with a focus on
polyolefins – currently account for ~60% of all
operating chemical recycling capacity in Europe
according to ICIS Recycling Supply Tracker –
Chemical.
Typically, pyrolysis-based processes aim to
limit chlorine content in bales- due to
corrosion risks – polyethylene
terephthalate (PET) content in bales – because
it doesn’t pyrolyse and it creates oxygenation
– nylon and flame retardants – which also
oxygenates the process.
They also typically aim to minimise moisture
content, because loose water molecules in the
reactor can cause changes to pressure values.
The production of pyrolysis oil requires an
inert atmosphere (i.e. heating in the absence
of oxygen).
The quality of input waste is one of the
largest dictators of output quality across
pyrolysis oil grades, dictating the type of
impurities and boiling point. Boiling point,
chlorine, sulphur, fluorine, nitrogen and
oxygen contents are among the key determiners
of pyrolysis oil prices – with an average
spread of €1,150/tonne currently being seen
between the lowest value (tyre-derived) and
highest value (naphtha substitute) grades of
pyrolysis oil that ICIS prices.
Any sorting that needs to be done to remove the
presence of these materials in the input bale
adds additional cost and slows throughput.
Pyrolysis oil can be – and often is – run
through an upgrader or purifier to enhance its
properties, but the quality of input waste has
an impact both on yield and quality – and,
therefore, profitability. This is one of the
reasons the environmental impact of pyrolysis
oil remains unclear and varies from producer to
producer.
While pyrolysis oil producers continue to test
with a wide-range of waste input qualities,
many producers are turning to agglomerations of
polyolefins, and it is expected to become a
leading feedstock for pyrolysis-based chemical
recycling in the mid-term.
This is in response to some of the challenges
chemical recyclers have found with
pre-treatment and sorting on site. This is
particularly connected to the need to adapt
processes continuously to account for
continually shifting feedstock mixes.
Pre-treating and sorting at waste manager level
creates economies of scale and prevents the
slowdown in throughput sometimes associated
with chemical recyclers sorting on site.
The use of agglomerates helps pyrolysis oil
producers:
Limit impurities such as sulphur, fluoride,
oxygen, chlorine and nitrogen in finished
pyrolysis oil – which typically results in a
higher realizable price for that pyrolysis oil,
and greater feasibility for use in a cracker
Enable placing feedstock straight into the
reactor and thereby save on capital expenditure
Ensure a more consistent feedstock, with
pre-treatment handled at waste managers which
benefit from economies of scale and
long-standing technical know-how
Avoid slowing throughput and the expense of
onsite sorting
Avoid degradation and allow players to
stockpile material ahead of plant scale-ups
Target specific waste input mixed (although
this can result in additional cost premiums)
In response to the growing interest in recycled
polyolefin agglomerates, ICIS has launched a
new recycled agglomerates price index as part
of its mixed plastic waste and pyrolysis oil
(Europe) pricing service.
The new index is for spot prices of
agglomerated forms of mixed polyolefin material
containing at least 95% polyolefin content and
a maximum moisture content of 3%. It is
assessed weekly on an ex-works Europe basis.
The mixed plastic waste and pyrolysis oil
(Europe) pricing service also offers pricing
for mixed polyolefin bales, high plastic
content refuse derived fuel (RDF) bales, reject
unsorted plastic waste bales from municipal
recover facilities (MRFs), and 3 spot price
series for pyrolysis oil (tyre derived,
non-upgraded, and naphtha substitute).
For more information on these new series, or to
share feedback, please contact Mark Victory at
mark.victory@icis.com.
Crude Oil02-Oct-2024
SINGAPORE (ICIS)–South Korea’s overall export
growth slowed in September, as petrochemical
exports dipped 0.6% year on year to $3.84
billion, fueling expectations of a potential
monetary policy easing next week.
Total exports grew for 12th straight month
in September
Economists expect central bank to soon cut
its benchmark interest rate
Overall shipments to China, US surge in
September
The country’s headline export growth slowed to
7.5% year on year in September at $58.8
billion, down from 11.4% in August, data from
the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy
(MOTIE) showed on 1 October.
This marks a full year of continuous growth for
South Korean exports, fueled by record-high
semiconductor sales and the strongest September
performance ever for automobile exports.
Exports of chemical, steel, and oil products
weakened in September, with falling oil prices
dragging down the export prices of those
products, according to Japan’s Nomura Global
Markets Research.
The slowdown was mainly attributed to fewer
working days due to a three-day public holiday
on 16 September.
South Korea’s automobile industry saw a
resurgence in September, with auto export
growth rebounding to 4.9% year on year after
contracting by 4.3% in August.
This positive shift followed three consecutive
months of decline and was driven by a recovery
in demand for environmentally friendly cars
like hybrids and electric vehicles, according
to Nomura.
The return to growth also reflects a
normalization of production schedules after
disruptions caused by summer breaks and labor
strikes, which had previously hampered the
industry, it added.
Meanwhile, South Korea’s import growth also
decelerated to 2.2% year on year in September,
down from 6.0% in August due to weaker energy
imports.
This resulted in a wider trade surplus of $6.7
billion, compared with August’s $3.83 billion.
By region, exports to China reached their
highest point this year at $11.7 billion,
marking a 6.3% increase, driven by demand for
semiconductors and wireless communication
devices, according to MOTIE.
This surge also led to a trade surplus of $0.5
billion with China, MOTIE data showed.
Shipments to the US also hit a record high for
September with $10.4 billion in exports, a 3.4%
rise, and extended its 14-month growth streak.
Exports to the EU climbed 5.1% to reach $6
billion, fueled by strong demand for IT goods.
STRONG EXPORTS TO SUPPORT INTEREST RATE
CUT IN OCTOBERWith solid exports
easing recession concerns amid weak
consumption, the Bank of Korea (BOK) is
expected to deliver only a 25-basis point cut
at the upcoming 11 October meeting to ease the
household financial burden and aid consumption
growth, according to Nomura.
“However, although tighter macroprudential
measures are having an impact in slowing
housing price inflation and household debt
growth, we expect the BOK to remain focused on
controlling housing prices and market
expectations about the number of rate cuts in
this easing cycle.”
Separately, data from Wednesday showed that
South Korea’s consumer price index (CPI) slowed
more than expected in September, rising 1.6%
year-on-year, the weakest annual increase since
February 2021.
This brings the inflation rate below the BOK’s
2% target, fueling further expectations of an
interest rate cut.
Core CPI, which excludes volatile food and
energy items, rose by 2.0% year on year, slower
than the 2.1% expansion the previous month and
the weakest since November 2021.
The BOK has held interest rates at a 16-year
high of 3.50% since August, citing financial
stability concerns amid a hot housing market.
The BOK in July slashed its 2024 growth
forecast to 2.4% from 2.5% previously, after
Asia’s fourth-largest economy unexpectedly
contracted in the second quarter.
South Korea’s economy posted a slower
second-quarter annualized growth of
2.3%, compared with the 3.3% pace set in the
preceding quarter amid sluggish domestic
consumption.
Focus article by Nurluqman
Suratman
Gas02-Oct-2024
Week-long heatwave in gas production states
Hot summer may intensify export-domestic
supply debate
Darwin and Broome temperatures soar
SINGAPORE (ICIS)–Australian Bureau of
Meteorology (BOM) has issued warnings
for a severe-to-extreme heatwave in parts of
Northern Territory (NT) and Western Australia
(WA) from 30 September, close to LNG production
hubs in Darwin and at the Woodside-operated
North West Shelf.
The extreme heatwave will last for six days
starting 2 October over parts of northern NT,
with a larger range of the region and areas
near North West Shelf experiencing the severe
heatwave from 30 September to 8 October,
according to the BOM forecast.
The weather data monitor said Darwin had the
“hottest September in more than 100 years”.
High temperatures pose risks to cooling
facilities at liquefaction plants, which may
curb LNG output. This has not yet happened to
LNG facilities in the areas, according to
operators.
“We do not expect a significant impact to
Ichthys LNG production as the heatwave is
expected to last approximately 1 week and
peaking today/tomorrow,” an Inpex spokesperson
told ICIS 2 October.
The Chevron-operated Gorgon and Wheatstone gas
facilities are “not subject to a current
heatwave assessment” due to their distance from
the heat center Broome, Chevron’s spokesperson
told ICIS.
A Woodside spokesperson said that, “we are not
experiencing any unusual weather in Karratha,
where our operations are located.”
SUPPLY TENSION
Although the areas affected by the heatwave are
not densely populated, hot weather ahead this
upcoming southern hemisphere summer could lead
to increased electricity use for
air-conditioning and industrial cooling.
Australia’s 2023/24 summer electricity demand
was 776MW more than 2024 winter, according to
Australian Energy Regulator
data.
Should the upcoming summer experience high
temperatures, which is possible according to
the BOM forecast, the summer-winter demand gap
would further widen.
Source: Australia Bureau of Meteorology
Energy resource exports from Australia have
been challenged because domestic electricity
users pay premiums for local coal and gas.
However, WA state recently
eased an onshore gas export ban that had
been in place since 2020.
The government has been urging LNG exporters to
secure domestic supplies in the context of
growing demand in its east coast. Gas supply
would fall short of domestic demand from 2027,
the Australian Competition and Consumer
Commission (ACCC) said in its latest
report.
Polyethylene02-Oct-2024
SINGAPORE (ICIS)–Click here to
see the latest blog post on Asian Chemical
Connections by John Richardson.
We now have 32 months of trade and pricing data
since the end of the 1992-2021 Chemicals
Supercycle and so it is worth taking stock of
what the numbers are telling us.
And as we have 32 months of information to draw
on since the end of the Supercycle, which is
from January 2022 until August 2024, it is
worth making like-for-like comparisons with the
32-month period immediately before the end of
the Supercycle – May 2019 until December 2021.
Focusing just on polypropylene (PP) with the
story the same in many other products:
South Korea and Taiwan saw declines in PP
sales turnover in China of $1.1 billion and
$694 million respectively when this two 3-month
periods are compared. Despite its feedstock
advantages, Saudi Arabia saw its turnover fall
by $681m followed by Singapore at $633m and
Thailand at $613 million .
Losses across China’s top ten trading
partners totalled $4.6bn. The only winner was,
not surprisingly, the Russian Federation with a
turnover gain of $102 million.
Another symptom of a chronically oversupplied
market has been a collapse in margins as
another chart in today’s post illustrates:
In May 2019-December, the average of both
naphtha and PDH-based PP margins was
$281/tonne, but this fell to just $12/tonne in
January 2022-September 2024. And this latter
period has involved many weeks of negative
margins.
A pivotal turning point in global chemicals
markets, the most important since 1992, was the
Evergrande Moment. And yet far are too few
references to this essential context.
China’s debts and its demographics told us from
as early as 2011 that a steep fall in economic
growth had to happen. We also knew from 2014
onwards, thanks to a shift in government
policy, that much-greater chemicals
self-sufficiency was on the way.
This gave producers plenty of time to build
strategies that reduced their dependence on
China.
But how many companies took note of what the
demographic and debt trends were telling us?
How many took note of the threat to China’s
exports from 2018 onwards as the geopolitical
environment deteriorated?
My suspicion is that far too few companies were
ready for the changes now well underway, which
are reflected in the above demand, supply,
sales turnover and margins data.
This was because people chose to believe
misleading nonsense about the “rise of China’s
middle class” when the numbers on China’s per
capita incomes, the country’s birthrate and the
rise in its debts exposed the myth.
The chemicals industry is science and data
driven except, seemingly, in one critical area:
Macroeconomics.
Editor’s note: This blog post is an opinion
piece. The views expressed are those of the
author, and do not necessarily represent those
of ICIS.
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