Qapco to restart Qatar LDPE plant in mid-March

01 March 2007 08:20  [Source: ICIS news]

SINGAPORE (ICIS news)--Qatar Petrochemical Co (Qapco) is to restart its low density polyethylene (LDPE) plant between 11-15 March, a company source said on Thursday.

 

The 400,000 tonne/year plant at Mesaieed, Qatar, was shut down at the end of January for a turnaround.

 

Its March allocations for customers would not be reduced as it had built up enough stocks ahead of the scheduled shutdown, the source said.

 

However, LDPE supply in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region is tight due to reduced supplies from another key Middle East supplier and strong demand, he said.

 

Moreover, the tight supply of high density polyethylene (HDPE) and linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) has driven buyers to use LDPE as a substitute.

 

LDPE supply is also tight in the Chinese market due to lower supplies from the Middle East and southeast Asia with offers for March shipments quoted at $1,320-1,330/tonne CFR (cost and freight) China, $20-30/tonne above the previous transactions, suppliers said.

By: Chow Bee Lin
+65 6780 4359

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