Americas top stories: weekly summary

HOUSTON (ICIS)–Here are the top stories from ICIS News from the week ended 7 June.

Celanese declares force majeure on acetic acid and VAM in Europe, Americas
Celanese has declared force majeure on acetic acid and vinyl acetate monomer (VAM) in the “Western Hemisphere”, which is understood to include the Americas and the Europe, Middle East and Africa region.

Canada rail strike unlikely to begin before mid-to-late July, rail carrier CN says
Rail carrier Canadian National (CN) estimates that a threatened rail strike in Canada is unlikely to begin before mid-to-late July, it said in an update on its website on Thursday.

Mexico’s Altamira petchems force majeure declarations continue on severe drought
Petrochemicals producers in the production hub of Altamira, in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, keep declaring force majeure as a severe drought halved water supplies to industrial players.

Brazil’s Braskem expects operations at Triunfo to normalize in ‘coming days’
Braskem’s operations at Triunfo in floods-hit state of Rio Grande do Sul are still yet fully normalized, despite the plant having restarted more than two weeks ago, a spokesperson said to ICIS on Wednesday.

Pace of China chemical capacity additions unsustainable – Huntsman CEO
The blistering pace of chemical capacity additions in China is likely to tail off, as the current wave is the result of prior planning during better times, the CEO of Huntsman said.

IPEX: Index down for first time this year on weak demand in all regions
The ICIS Petrochemical Index (IPEX) was down 1.2% in May month on month, as weak downstream demand paved the way for price declines in all regions.

Protectionism and tariffs a key concern for US chemicals – ACC execs
The increasing trend towards protectionism and tariffs is a key concern for the US chemical industry, said executives at the American Chemistry Council (ACC).

INSIGHT: Mexico’s emissions, energy policy and Pemex main challenges for new president
Mexico’s new – and first female – president Claudia Sheinbaum will have to decide soon into her term whether she changes course in two key aspects: energy policy and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and the support for state-owned, indebted and underperforming energy major Pemex.

Nylon recovery progressing but building and construction still weak – AdvanSix CEO
AdvanSix continues to see a gradual recovery in nylon demand driven by automotive and packaging, but building and construction remains challenged, said the CEO of AdvanSix.