ICIS - Search Articles by Date : August 11 2003 - August 17 2003

New project summary
Reported in ECN on 4 August Company Product Capacity Process Contractor Cost Startup Status .... more
(15 August 2003 15:49)

Slovnaft cost climbs
Hungary's MOL may have to pay roughly $30m more for the shares it does not already own in Slovakian refinery Slovnaft, due to the recent decision of.... more
(15 August 2003 15:49)

Moving freight off the road
With this summer's heatwave focusing attention on the possibility that global warming is speeding up, or convincing others that it is a reality, we.... more
(15 August 2003 15:49)

People on the move
Degussa German speciality chemicals firm Degussa has appointed Gunther Wittmer as the head of its superabsorbents business unit. He currently.... more
(15 August 2003 15:49)

20 years ago
ECN 15 August 1983 more
(15 August 2003 15:49)

Market trends: Tight availability squeezes ethylene
Ethylene spot prices have skyrocketed by $85/tonne as prices firm and two force majeures are confirmed. Styrene spot numbers have stayed strong due.... more
(15 August 2003 15:49)

Asia Monitor: Aromatics up on supply problems
After plunging to the low $400s/tonne in early May, PX prices have risen dramatically, says ICIS-LOR. This is due to intensified buying after.... more
(15 August 2003 15:49)

News in brief
ABB outsources ABB of Zurich, Switzerland, and IBM have reached a ten-year agreement through which IBM will provide outsourcing for around 90%.... more
(15 August 2003 15:49)

News in brief
Deal completed Crompton has completed the sale of its organosilicones business to GE and its acquisition of GE's speciality chemicals business.... more
(15 August 2003 15:49)

News in brief
PVC closure Hungary's Borsodchem closed down its 30 000 tonne/year polyvinyl chloride (PVC) unit in July, a company source confirmed. The unit,.... more
(15 August 2003 15:49)

News in brief
Amber light for unit Methanex has given a conditional go-ahead for its planned 1.3m tonne/year methanol project on the Burrup Peninsula in.... more
(15 August 2003 15:49)

News in brief
Sharing experience Uhde of Dortmund, Germany, is to acquire a shareholding in Chemgineering of Muttenz, Switzerland. At the same time, the Swiss.... more
(15 August 2003 15:49)

News in brief
Auto refinishes Akzo Nobel is establishing an international R&D centre for its automotive refinishes business. Based in Pontiac, Michigan,.... more
(15 August 2003 15:49)

Degussa feels change of wind in second quarter
The mild tailwind Degussa hoped would help it make fair progress for the remainder of the year turned into a headwind in the second quarter, and it.... more
(15 August 2003 15:49)

BASF to streamline business
BASF is stepping up its restructuring programme in the Nafta region to achieve total savings of $250m by 2006 more
(15 August 2003 15:49)

Uncertain outlook ahead, warns BASF chairman
BASF's chairman Jurgen Hambrecht is not very optimistic about the outlook for the chemicals industry for the remainder of the year more
(15 August 2003 15:49)

Canpotex supplies Sinochem
Canada's Canpotex will supply China National Chemicals Import and Export Corporation (Sinochem) with a minimum of 1.5m tonne/year of potash plus an.... more
(15 August 2003 15:49)

Rhodia eases closure pain
Rhodia is making a 'multi-million dollar' investment in its Wuxi, China, acetaminophen (paracetamol) production facility more
(15 August 2003 15:49)

Rhodia-Ster ponders PET
Rhodia-Ster is considering building a 270 000 tonne/ year polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plant in Cabo de Santo Agostinho, Pernambuco state,.... more
(15 August 2003 15:49)

Zimmer strikes polyester/ staple fibre project deals
Zimmer has won two contracts to build polyester plants and another for a staple fibre plant worth around E140m in total more
(15 August 2003 15:49)

Clariant funds research centre
A research-based technology centre to assist in the development and commercialisation of drugs is to be established by Clariant at its Hochst.... more
(15 August 2003 15:49)

UAE jv fulfils Atofina's need
Total and the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) will proceed with a 50 000 tonne/year E100m melamine plant in Abu Dhabi. Ruwais Fertiliser.... more
(15 August 2003 15:49)

BACC in colour
  BASFColorants & Chemicals (BACC) in Shanghai, China, is to increase its production capacity for synthetic.... more
(15 August 2003 15:49)

France joins POPs protocol
France has become the 16th country to ratify the Protocol on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) more
(15 August 2003 15:49)

Green projects make headway
Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects under the Kyoto Protocol have received a boost, following the approval of the first two baseline and.... more
(15 August 2003 15:49)

Roche to deliver specialised proteins
Roche Diagnostics has created a 'protein expression group' (RPEG) within its applied sciences operation in Indianapolis, Indiana, US more
(15 August 2003 15:49)

Markets react swiftly to outage
Acetic acid and vinyl acetate monomer markets are evaluating the consequences of the force majeure declaration at Acetex's 400 000 tonne/year Pardies.... more
(15 August 2003 15:49)

GSK invests in POMS CMS
GlaxoSmithKline has implemented Honeywell Industry Solutions' POMS CMS (clinical manufacturing solution) across three of its sites - Tonbridge and.... more
(15 August 2003 15:49)

Firm orders for Indian speciality
Rohm and Haas has inaugurated its first Indian adhesives, sealants, and coatings plant in Taloja, in the Maharashtra state, at a cost of $20m (ECN8 more
(15 August 2003 15:49)

Eka plant to serve Veracel's mill
Eka Chemicals plans to build and operate a E50m paper chemicals complex for Veracel in Bahia, Brazil, to serve a 15-year supply contract more
(15 August 2003 15:49)

Europe to cut emissions
The European Commission has adopted a proposal to reduce emissions of fluorinated greenhouse gases, with the aim of lowering these emissions by.... more
(15 August 2003 15:49)

Unipetrol sale starts October
Unipetrol's privatisation will begin in October with more flexible sale conditions more
(15 August 2003 15:49)

World-scale unit scheduled
BASF and Dow Chemical expect to begin building their world-scale propylene oxide (PO) plant by the end of this year more
(15 August 2003 15:49)

New catalyst fuels change
Scientists at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, US, have developed a hydrogen-making catalyst that uses cheaper materials and yields fewer.... more
(15 August 2003 15:49)

ACC criticism
The American Chemistry Council (ACC) is doing its best to appease Huntsman International (HI) which is threatening to give up its membership because.... more
(15 August 2003 15:49)

DARTS hits bullseye with X-ray scattering
Daresbury Analytical Research and Technology Service (DARTS) claims to be able to measure the size distribution of nanoparticles in the 1-100nm range.... more
(15 August 2003 15:49)

Europe's grain crisis is Latin region's gain
Better domestic economic conditions and export opportunities for Latin American agrochemicals producers should allow a global growth rate of 3-4% to.... more
(15 August 2003 15:49)

ConocoPhillips goes for E-Gas
ConocoPhillips has completed an agreement with Global Energy to acquire patents and intellectual property associated with the company's E-Gas.... more
(15 August 2003 15:49)

BOC boosts output
The UK's BOCwill double its carbon dioxide (CO2) capacity in Thailand with the construction of a second plant in Rayong more
(15 August 2003 15:49)

Tight supply hits chloralkali margins
European chloralkali markets have tightened considerably over the past two months and are feeling the pressure of higher electricity costs following.... more
(15 August 2003 15:49)

Petkim privatisation is in jeopardy
The majority sale of Turkey's petrochemical group Petkim was cancelled earlier this month after highest bidders Standart Kimya, a division of the.... more
(15 August 2003 15:49)

FTA blames Europe for delays in new equipment
The UK Freight Transport Association (FTA) claims that the European Commission has 'bungled' arrangements for the installation of digital tachographs.... more
(15 August 2003 15:49)

Litigation threatens Solutia
Continuing losses and ongoing courtroom setbacks in an Alabama, US, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) pollution case have left US fibres producer.... more
(15 August 2003 15:49)

Avecia rating drops on first half results
Avecia has suffered a credit rating downgrade following first half results showing operating profit falling by 40% to £14.9m (E21m/$24m) more
(15 August 2003 15:49)

Cuts in fuel emissions rejected
The European Commission has rebuffed attempts by MEPs to enforce deeper cuts in sulphur dioxide emissions from ships under its directive on fuel.... more
(15 August 2003 15:49)

CyPlus invests in safe storage
CyPlus has spent over E500 000 in a warehouse for cyanides at it site in Wesseling, Germany more
(15 August 2003 15:49)

Aker awarded $11m contract
Aker Kvaerner has been awarded a $11m front-end engineering design contract by Chevron Phillips Chemicals for a polyethylene and normal alpha.... more
(15 August 2003 15:49)

Fluorochemicals growth steady
Global demand for fluorochemicals is forecast to increase 3.2%/year through 2007 to 2.2m tonnes, according to a study from the Freedonia Group more
(15 August 2003 15:49)

Operating income up but results disappoint analysts
Bayer recorded an 80% hike to E454m in second quarter operating income from continuing activities, disappointing analysts' whose consensus was E479m more
(15 August 2003 15:49)

Spot prices soar with Europe's temperatures
European ethylene spot price ideas have soared to $450/ tonne cif NWE, from $370/ tonne cif NWE in early August more
(15 August 2003 15:49)