Russia stopped publishing trade statistics after January 2022. Russia’s exports, however, are visible from trading partner import statistics in ITP’s World Trade Matrixes. These indicate declines for both Russia’s exports of polymers of ethylene and propylene.
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China’s Imports of Polyethylene Picked up in August, 2022; Reduced Volumes YTD Changed Trade Flows Globally
After several slow months China’s imports of ethylene polymers in August 2022 were up by 140,000 tons from July. The 12% fall off in imports YTD, to 10.5 million tons, led to increased exports by Asia-Pacific exporters to Western and Eastern Europe and Africa.
Continue readingLNG Imports from Russia into Key Global Markets
Imports of LNG into China, South Korea, Japan and UK showed different trends through May/June, 2022.
Continue readingUkraine’s Exports Remained Depressed Through May, 2022, but Imports of Key Chemical Products Picked Up.
The start of the war in February, 2022, severely impacted Ukraine’s trade in chemical and other products. While export volumes remained depressed, imports of many products into Ukraine picked up in May, although not to pre-war levels.
Continue readingImports of Polypropylene into both Western Europe and Eastern Europe Plummeted in April 2022. YTD, Western Europe’s Imports were up; Eastern Europe’s Fell.
Two months into the war in Ukraine, import statistics for Western and Eastern Europe show different trends in imports from Russia on a YTD basis. Monthly import figures, however, show a sharp drop in April into both regions.
Continue readingMajor Shift to Europe in US Exports of LNG
US export figures through May, 2022, show not only surging export volumes but also a shift away from Asia-Pacific to Europe.
Continue readingChina’s LNG Imports were Down 21% May 2022 YTD from May 2021 YTD. Imports from US and Other Sources Fell Sharply; Qatar, Russia and Trinidad-Tobago Supplied Higher Volumes
Weak economic activity over the last several months was evident from the drop by over 3 million tons, 21%, in China’s imports of LNG through May, to 26.6 million tons.
Continue readingPolypropylene Imports Into Europe Jump in March
March 2022 was the first full month of trade after the February invasion of Ukraine by Russia. Uncertainty created by the war apparently resulted in higher imports of polypropylene homopolymer into both Eastern Europe and Western Europe in March.
Continue readingUkraine’s Exports Plummet
Ukraine is a sizable exporter of caustic soda, PVC, propylene monomer and polymers of ethylene, among other products. Shipments of all of these dropped sharply in March, the month after Russia’s invasion, and virtually disappeared in April and May.
Continue readingUS Exports of Ethylene Polymers Surged in March, 2022, and Continued High in April
Shipments totaled 3.2 million tons through April, up 5.3% from the same period in 2021, on a big gain to Western Europe and higher volumes to all other regions except Asia-Pacific.
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