Saudi Arabia’s Petro Rabigh starts to export HDPE, PP cargoes

25 August 2009 12:47  [Source: ICIS news]

SINGAPORE (ICIS news)--Rabigh Refining and Petrochemical Co (Petro Rabigh) has started to export high density polyethylene (HDPE) and polypropylene (PP) cargoes from its cracker complex at Rabigh, Saudi Arabia, a source close to the company said on Tuesday.

The cargoes were being shipped to markets in Europe and Asia, the source said.

“Only the 600,000 tonne/year linear low density PE (LLDPE) plant is still facing teething problems and running at very low rates,” the source said.

The company's 300,000 tonne/year HDPE plant and its 700,000 tonne/year PP plant were operating at around 70%, the source said.

Petro Rabigh's 1.3m tonne/year cracker, which provides the feedstock to the downstream polyolefin and monoethylene glycol (MEG) units at the same site, was also operating at 70%, the source added.

Another source close to the company said the 700,000 tonne/year MEG unit was producing around 70-80% of nameplate capacity since earlier this month, at which time it also started to export MEG to markets in Europe and Asia.

Overall operating rates at the MEG line were expected to edge higher in September, added the source, without providing specific details.

Petro Rabigh is a joint venture between state-owned oil giant Saudi Aramco and Japan's Sumitomo Chemicals.

With additional reporting by Salmon Aidan Lee

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By: Prema Viswanathan
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