US first half PX exports rise 9% year over year

12 August 2009 21:41  [Source: ICIS news]

HOUSTON (ICIS news)--US exports of paraxylene (PX) in the first half of 2009 were up by 9% year over year following a spike in shipments to Mexico, the US International Trade Commission (ITC) said on Wednesday.

US producers sent out 634m litres of PX from January through June compared with 583m litres during the same time last year.

The 58% increase in exports to Mexico, totalling 538m litres, was offset by a 78% drop in PX sent to China and a 66% fall in the amount of PX headed to Taiwan in the first half of this year.

However, China's intake of US PX did rise year over year in June 2009 by nearly 9m litres, or 58%. Total June exports to the Asian country were 14.9m litres.

June was a strong month for Asian polyester production, and buying interest in US PX from Asian buyers was high in May.

On the import front, foreign PX destined for the US declined by 4% in the first half of 2009 to a total of 656m litres, the ITC said.

Large increases in product coming from Brazil and Ecuador were seen in the first half of the year with substantial declines in Middle Eastern and Canadian imports.

Major US PX producers include ExxonMobil, BP, Chevron Phillips Chemical and Flint Hills Resources.

Petrotemex is Mexico's largest buyer of US PX.

For more on paraxylene (PX) visit ICIS chemical intelligence 
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By: Ryan Hickman
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