ICIS - Search Articles by Date : September 26 2005 - October 02 2005

Market trends: Higher oil pushes up aromatics
Crude topped $45/bbl again, boosting benzene and styrene numbers while MTBE prices have also jumped. Spot paraxylene prices have returned to last.... more
(28 September 2005 07:05)

IN BRIEF New Projects Watch
RELIANCE TO HIKE OX OUTPUT AT JAMNAGAR more
(01 October 2005 08:32)

Sabic: Crackers, concerns and challenges
Sabic's CEO Mohamed Al-Mady talks to ICIS TV about its investment plans, strategy and the challenges facing the Middle East.  more
(29 September 2005 09:00)

BASF evaluates cracker expansion in Nanjing
CHINA’S BASF-YPC is evaluating the expansion of its cracker from 600 000 tonne/year to 750 000 tonne/year and is considering hiking capacity of its.... more
(01 October 2005 08:37)

Sabic furthers plans for China
SABIC MAY use crude oil and naphtha supplies to win participation in Chinese petrochemical projects, according the vice chairman and chief executive.... more
(01 October 2005 08:32)

Masso feed plant smells good at ¤3m
SPANISH CHEMICALS firm Masso Y Carol is to invest €3m in building a cosmetics feed plant in Huesca, Spain. more
(01 October 2005 08:32)

BP’s big ideas for Chinese PTA
BP IS PLANNING to build a 900 000 tonne/year purified terephthalic acid (PTA) plant at its BP Zhuhai complex in Guangdong Province, China. more
(01 October 2005 08:37)

Perstorp’s plant pick-up
PERSTORP WILL invest SKr60m (€6.4m/$7.8m) to convert its Perstorp, Sweden, and Ghent, Belgium, production facilities to be able to produce a total of.... more
(01 October 2005 08:32)

Ecodock to develop green yard in UK
NETHERLANDS-BASED Ecodock has signed a memorandum of understanding with Swan Hunter to develop a ‘green’ ship recycling yard in the UK. more
(01 October 2005 08:32)

Skaugen enters Chinese shipbuilding alliance
NORWEGIAN SHIPPER IM Skaugen has entered into an alliance with an undisclosed Chinese shipyard to build three specialised combination carriers. The.... more
(01 October 2005 08:32)

Texas open again for business
DUTCH LOGISTICS group Vopak was reopening its Texas, US, terminals last week following closures in advance of Hurricane Rita. Facilities at Deer Park.... more
(01 October 2005 08:32)

Kuehne & Nagel €9m expansion
GERMANY’S KUEHNE & Nagel has opened its expanded logistics centre in Grosslehna, Leipzig. Around €9m was invested in the project. more
(01 October 2005 08:32)

European group will drive priorities
FORMER EUROPEAN Commission vice president, Loyola de Palacio, has been appointed to chair a high-level group to identify and develop priority.... more
(01 October 2005 08:32)

New projects roundup
TECHNIP AND CHIYODA JUMP ON THE ING TRAIN more
(01 October 2005 08:32)

IN BRIEF Markets Watch
ITC CONTINUES ANTI-DUMPING DUTY ON KOREAN PET more
(01 October 2005 08:32)

Polymer foams challenged
In spite of skyrocketing raw material costs, polymer foam demand continues to grow more
(01 October 2005 08:32)

A market that depends on resourcefulness
Engineering thermoplastics and other high-performance polymers are becoming increasingly important in a wide range of new applications. Cath.... more
(01 October 2005 08:32)

Biopolymers on the way up
There is no doubt that biopolymers offer numerous advantages over conventional plastics. But price isn’t one of them… yet. Gunter Festel, Sarai Kölle.... more
(01 October 2005 08:32)

BP will pay $21.3m fine after March explosion
IN AN agreement with the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) BP Products North America is to pay a fine of $21.3m in relation to.... more
(01 October 2005 08:32)

Objection points Reach Brussels
THE EUROPEAN Action Alliance (EAA), bringing together SMEs under the Objection campaign, has put together a ‘comprehensive catalogue of demands’.... more
(01 October 2005 08:32)

SAICM makes progress, US fears a global policy
THE FINAL day of last month’s meeting on the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) saw progress made on the high-level.... more
(01 October 2005 08:32)

Wolf cries global message
EXPECT VOLATILITY and be prepared for a weakening dollar, were the messages from economist Martin Wolf at the European Petrochemical Association.... more
(01 October 2005 08:32)

Perfect pricing or Holy Grail?
IT'S A debate common to EPCA meetings – quarterly or monthly ethylene pricing. This year, with Innovene’s monthly settlement out in the open, there.... more
(01 October 2005 08:32)

Methanor searches for saviour
DUTCH METHANOL producer Methanor has begun talks with rival producers and suppliers in an attempt to weather soaring feedstock costs and poor.... more
(01 October 2005 08:37)

IN BRIEF Markets Watch
RISING COSTS FORCE ACID PRICE INCREASES more
(01 October 2005 08:32)

Petrobras eyes up ethanol expansion
BRAZIL’S STATE-owned oil and petrochemicals group Petrobras is expanding its logistics network in preparation for a sharp rise in ethanol exports. more
(01 October 2005 08:32)

The Brazilian blend
M&G is looking to Brazil as its base for polymer production in the South American region, writes Cath O’Driscoll more
(01 October 2005 08:32)

Polyone films unit buy out
PolyOne says it plans to sell most of its engineered films business unit to members of the unit’s management team and a Matrix Capital Markets.... more
(01 October 2005 08:32)

Will China learn to go it alone in petrochemicals?
As China sees a number of joint venture cracker projects come to fruition, it is learning the technical and business skills to compete with the rest.... more
(01 October 2005 08:32)

People on the move
ERIKO SAKURAI has been named as the global industry director for marketing for Dow Corning Life Sciences, where she will be a member of the life.... more
(01 October 2005 08:32)

Conferences Calendar
October – December 2005 more
(01 October 2005 08:32)

New Projects reported in ECN 26 SEPTEMBER 2005
New Projects reported in ECN 26 SEPTEMBER 2005 more
(01 October 2005 08:32)

Bulk chemical prices
Bulk chemical prices more
(01 October 2005 08:32)

Germany rallies against GM
GERMAN FARMERS demonstrated last week at the Bonn headquarters of the national agricultural association, Deutscher Raiffeisenverband (DRV), to.... more
(01 October 2005 08:32)

Greenpeace calls for a cull of toxic chemicals
GREENPEACE IS urging Europe’s decision-makers to follow the lead of a number of consumer goods producers, which are taking ‘active steps to eliminate.... more
(01 October 2005 08:32)

Defra proposes waste recovery
THE UK government’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has set out proposals for changes to existing waste management.... more
(01 October 2005 08:32)

Hikes hit markets following storms
Polymer sellers say increased cost pressure has stiffened their resolve to push through large increases. more
(01 October 2005 08:32)

News Watch 20 years ago
30 September 1985 more
(01 October 2005 08:32)

Degussa finds partner in Dongdian
BASF was not the only German chemical company to hold inauguration ceremonies in China this week. more
(01 October 2005 08:32)

BASF ups Asia investment
BASF is investing a further €1bn in Asia until 2009 in an effort to achieve 10% of its global chemical sales and earnings in China by 2010, the.... more
(01 October 2005 08:37)

Bayer chair is elected new VCI president
Bayer chairman Werner Wenning has been elected as the new president of the German chemicals industry association VCI. more
(01 October 2005 08:32)

Cartel clash over German gas terms
Germany’s Cartel authority, Bundeskartellamt, and the country’s largest gas transmission company, Eon Ruhrgas, continue to clash over the authority’s.... more
(01 October 2005 08:32)

Trading sustained at Johnson Matthey
UK speciality chemicals and metals group Johnson Matthey confirmed first half trading remained in line with expectations, with sustained profit.... more
(01 October 2005 08:32)

Al-Mady outlines Sabic future
Sabic is considering participation in refinery investments in Saudi Arabia to enhance and diversify its feedstock availability in the kingdom, the.... more
(01 October 2005 08:37)

IN Brief News Watch
JM Huber purchase under EU scrutiny more
(01 October 2005 08:32)

Cottonseed oil unshaken by large supply influx
The cottonseed oil market is expected to remain stable despite forecasts of another large cottonseed crop for 2005–2006. Increased consumption of.... more
(26 September 2005 11:56)

Energy costs crimping chloralkali
While the US chloralkali industry came through Katrina relatively unscathed, it has not escaped the ravages of high raw material prices, especially.... more
(26 September 2005 12:08)

Profit warnings proliferate
Shares of Chemtura plunge over 20 percent. Joseph Chang reports more
(26 September 2005 12:12)

CST prices are creeping upward
THE PRICE of crude sulfate turpentine (CST) has stalled for almost two years, but strong demand and skyrocketing energy costs have shaken the market.... more
(26 September 2005 11:54)

Optoelectronics grow
Global efforts to expand the capabilities of electronic circuitry by exploiting the large bandwidth and wavelength distribution of light have created.... more
(26 September 2005 12:09)