Qatar’s Exports of EDC Double; VCM Slows

Qatar exported over 244,000 tons of EDC through August 2014, up 98% from the prior year. Exports of VCM dropped 21%, to 192,000 tons. Qatar also reported 41,000 tons of exports of uncompounded PVC polymer. India was the top export destination for Qatar’s EDC, receiving over 170,000 tons of the 244,000 total August year to date, an increase of 65%. Significant volumes were also apparently marketed  to several new markets this year, including Japan, Taiwan, Oman and UAE.

Qatar’s VCM exports reflected a 26% drop in shipments to India, to 171,000 tons. (India’s VCM imports trended lower through much of the first half of 2014, on lower volumes from both Japan and Qatar, partly offset by increased supplies from the US.)

PVC exports from Qatar were first visible in June 2014 and continued through August (latest); most of this was shipped to India, with a smaller volume to Indonesia.