ICIS - Search Articles by Date : July 02 2007 - July 08 2007

MOL rebuffs OMV alliance
Hungary's MOL has rejected an offer from Austrian energy firm OMV to discuss creating a strategic partnership. "MOL will continue its own.... more
(02 July 2007 10:35)

Sunsine plans listing
Rubber chemicals producer China Sunsine Chemical plans to list on the Singapore Stock Exchange and use the proceeds to expand and upgrade its.... more
(02 July 2007 10:36)

New Jersey files MTBE lawsuit
THE NEW Jersey state government is seeking hundreds of millions of dollars worth of compensation from producers and distributors of methyl tertiary.... more
(06 July 2007 16:55)

US construction spending edges up
CONSTRUCTION SPENDING in the US increased by nearly 1% in May to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1.177bn compared with the revised April.... more
(06 July 2007 16:55)

Hexion's bid raises antitrust concerns
HEXION WOULD find it difficult to gain regulatory approval if its offer for Huntsman was successful given their overlap in epoxy resins, according.... more
(06 July 2007 16:55)

Rohm and Haas to take profit hit
ROHM AND Haas will take a second-quarter after-tax charge of $28m or 13 cents per share as a result of problems at its Deer Park, Tex., methyl.... more
(06 July 2007 16:55)

Wilmar denies forest burning allegations
WILMAR INTERNATIONAL - among Asia's biggest palm oil producers with plantations in Indonesia and Malaysia - has denied allegations from an.... more
(06 July 2007 16:55)

CVC buys Taminco
PRIVATE EQUITY firm CVC has agreed to buy alkylamines and derivatives producer Taminco from AlpInvest Partners for €800m ($1.1bn). The Ghent,.... more
(06 July 2007 16:55)

Biofuels demand hikes food prices
A NEW report by the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) and the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has cited.... more
(06 July 2007 16:55)

ICIS radio Americas: 2 July 2007
FEED Air Products Weblink more
(02 July 2007 09:29)

ICIS radio: Special report: Sibur’s polymer plans
FEED Air Products Weblink ICIS’ Nigel Davis talks to Dimitry Konov, Sibur’s chief executive about his firm’s joint vinyls venture.... more
(03 July 2007 17:41)

ICIS Chemical Shipping News 4 July 2007
ICIS Chemical Shipping News 4 July 2007 more
(04 July 2007 15:48)

ICIS radio: Chemical News Central: 6 July 2007
Feed Air Products Weblink more
(06 July 2007 15:20)

ICIS radio: Special Report: Chemicals Innovation
Feed Air Products Weblink more
(06 July 2007 16:23)

MEK sellers push for price rise
A STRONG push is needed from major European methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) producers if they are to increase spot prices in July. According to.... more
(02 July 2007 10:38)

Local wheat to feed British bioethanol plant
BP, DuPont and Associated British Foods (ABF) are to build a 330,000 tonne/year bioethanol facility at BP's site at Saltend, UK. The £200m.... more
(02 July 2007 10:37)

Huntsman sets sights on synergies, not shake-up
Peter Huntsman is expecting "business as usual" following last Tuesday's announcement that Basell's parent group, Access Industries, has agreed to.... more
(02 July 2007 10:34)

NEW PROJECTS REPORTED BY ICIS 2-8 July 2007
  Company Product Capacity Process Contractor Cost Startup Status BP, DuPont, Associated British Foods.... more
(06 July 2007 15:26)

THINK TANK - Brazil breaks free from its domestic bubble
Grabby nationalism is alive and well in Latin America, but investor-friendly ­Brazil is poised to become a regional supplier of natural gas.... more
(06 July 2007 15:26)

IN BRIEF - Asia Watch
IPCL Q4 PROFITS SURGE Indian Petrochemicals Corp Limited (IPCL) posted a 24.5% surge in its fourth-quarter operating profit to Indian rupees.... more
(06 July 2007 15:26)

ASIA INSIDER - Moody's sets the scene in petrochemicals
International ratings agency Moody's Investor Service launched a report in June that highlighted how Asia's petrochemical scene is attempting to.... more
(06 July 2007 15:26)

Huntsman climbs the supply chain
Huntsman Corporation's textiles effects business is to buy the Baroda division of India's Metrochem Industries for $46.5m (€34.4m). The.... more
(06 July 2007 15:26)

EUROPE INSIDER - Ministers vague over emissions scheme future
European environment ministers have recommended that more emissions permits should be auctioned under the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme.... more
(06 July 2007 15:26)

WASHINGTON INSIDER - Economy faces risk of sharper downturn
Growth in the global economy is stronger than anticipated and should help sustain US industry with export trade despite weakness in the key US.... more
(06 July 2007 15:26)

China economy lifts Yip's Chemical profits
Yip's Chemical Holdings posted a 45% rise in fiscal 2007 operating profits as a result of strong demand for its solvents and coatings products. .... more
(06 July 2007 15:26)

Top stories from ICIS news, 29 June-5 July
1. INEOS in JV to run Lanxess' ABS unit SINGAPORE - The UK's INEOS is to pay German chemicals firm Lanxess €35m initially ($47.3m) for a.... more
(06 July 2007 15:26)

COMMENT - Change, and change again
If there's one thing that's certain in chemicals, it's that nothing is certain. Change is ever-present: in portfolio reshuffling, geographic.... more
(06 July 2007 15:26)

5-MINUTE PROJECT WATCH
ONGC PLANS PP BUILD India's Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) plans to build a 400,000 tonne/year polypropylene (PP) plant, together.... more
(06 July 2007 15:26)

IN BRIEF - Environment watch
Charter signed on trichloro safety Dow Europe, INEOS Chlor and Chimcomplex Borzesti (Romania) have signed a product stewardship charter aimed.... more
(06 July 2007 15:26)

Bayer to set up base camp in Hong Kong
Bayer MaterialScience said last week that it has acquired Taiwan's Ure-Tech and that it intends to make Hong Kong the global headquarters for its.... more
(06 July 2007 15:26)

People on the move
European Plastic Films has re-elected Bjorn Hoem as its president for a further two years. Hoem is CEO of CeDo, which supplies disposable.... more
(06 July 2007 15:26)

20 YEARS AGO and 10 YEARS AGO
ECN 13 July 1987 Solvay to sell paints business Belgium's Solvay is negotiating the sale of its West German coatings unit, Unitecta, to.... more
(06 July 2007 15:26)

Hanwha chief behind bars
Hanwha Group chief Kim Seung-youn was sentenced to an 18-month stint in prison last week, but the company was quick to play down the impact it would.... more
(06 July 2007 15:26)

IN BRIEF - Supply chain
Brenntag snaps up natural world Brenntag has bought Italian speciality chemical distributor Natural World. Based in Lugo, Natural World.... more
(06 July 2007 15:26)

IN BRIEF - Markets watch
Asian phenol stable Phenol spot prices in Asia are still notional at $1,600-1,660/tonne (€1,175-1,219/tonne) CFR (cost and freight) China Main.... more
(06 July 2007 15:26)

BRICE'S PRICES
PS sellers relish thought of better margins Lower feedstock costs mean European polystyrene (PS) prices are dropping for July. And,.... more
(06 July 2007 15:26)

Activity picks up, along with prices
Aromatics see the most significant spot gains, but markets are largely subdued as contract negotiations reach their climax. European butadiene.... more
(06 July 2007 15:26)

MARKETS - DATA BANK
      SPOT BULK CHEMICAL PRICES .... more
(06 July 2007 15:26)

IN BRIEF - Innovations
DSM adds more non-halogen retardants DSM has released a further selection of halogen-free flame retardant polymer grades. These are based on.... more
(06 July 2007 15:26)

Global system may hinder Reach
Proposals by the European Commission to adopt the Globally Harmonised System for Classification and Labelling (GHS) could "jeopardise the benefits.... more
(06 July 2007 15:26)

Airgas buys into welding
Airgas has acquired Lehner & Martin (L&M), a Santa Ana, California-based industrial gas and welding supply distributor. Airgas did not.... more
(06 July 2007 15:26)

Russia uses Topsoe methanol process
TOPSOE will provide its methanol technology to Russia's JSC Shchekinoazot for a new 450,000 tonne/year plant. The plant will be located at.... more
(06 July 2007 15:26)

IN BRIEF - Project watch
Kemira additive plant under way in China Kemira is building a 15,000 tonne/year production plant for the feed and food additive calcium.... more
(06 July 2007 15:26)

Arkema in deal to buy polymers firm
ARKEMA IS to buy specialty ­polymers and additives firm Coatex from Switzerland's Omya Group for an undisclosed amount. The deal is expected to.... more
(06 July 2007 15:26)

Sibur ups its cracker force
Sibur will raise ethylene capacity at its Nizhny Novgorod cracker from 240,000 tonnes/year to 360,000 tonnes/year by 2010 to serve additional demand.... more
(06 July 2007 15:26)

Vopak grows terminal in UK for biofuels unit
Dutch storage company Vopak is expanding capacity at its terminal at Seal Sands in the UK. The project is intended to support Ensus' bioethanol.... more
(06 July 2007 15:26)

Dow Chemical signs MoU with GACL
Dow Chemical has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with India's Gujarat Alkalies and Chemicals Ltd (GACL) for business ­collaboration.... more
(06 July 2007 15:26)

Report brings home safety
The Chemical Business Association (CBA) has released data for the first time on the health, safety and environmental performance of firms providing.... more
(06 July 2007 15:26)

Pricey palm oil hits Asian biofuel
Southeast Asia's biodiesel plants are running at low rates as expensive feedstock palm oil is making production unprofitable. Workable prices for.... more
(06 July 2007 15:26)

Germans study biomass
Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe (FZK) and Lurgi in Germany have inaugurated the first stage of a joint research plant for the generation of fuels from.... more
(06 July 2007 15:26)