There was a strong upward trend in Thailand’s exports of commodity polymers through most of the first seven months of the year. Imports of virgin commodity polymers were up slightly; imports of recycle polymers soared.
Tag Archives: North America
Western Europe Exported 2.4 Times as Much Recycle PE in 2017 as Did North America
Although virgin polyethylene production capacity is similar in both regions, Western Europe exported 1.4 million tons of recycle polyethylene in 2017, compared with 0.6 million tons exported by from North America.
Shipments in 2017 from both regions were mainly to Asia-Pacific, although 220,000 tons of its total was shipped by Western Europe to Eastern Europe. Exports from both Western Europe and North America declined versus 2016, by 15% and 9%, respectively.
As of January 2018, China’s imports of R-PE have virtually disappeared. Although R-PE imports into Vietnam, Malaysia, Turkey and other countries have been rising, their imports to date are much smaller than China’s. Because of the previous size of Western Europe’s R-PE exports, that region will likely be impacted by the loss of the Chinese market to a greater degree than will North America.
From International Trader Publications’ Recycle Polyethylene World Trade Review – a continuously updated on line analysis of trade trends between countries and regions, based on latest import/export statistics from 46 countries.
Trends in LNG Global Trade in 2017.
LNG global trade in 2017 was 280 million tons, up 8%.
Trends in Propylene Global Trade in 2017
Propylene monomer global trade in 2017 was 8.0 million tons, up 2% from 2016.
Trends in Ethylene Global Trade in 2017
Ethylene global trade in 2017 was 7.9 million tons up 10% from 2016.
Trends in Butadiene Global Trade in 2017
Butadiene global trade in 2017 was 2.7 million tons, up 7% from 2016.
Ethylene Polymer Imports into China up 18% in 2017, to 13.5 Million Tons
Imports were at record levels for most of the second half of 2017.
China’s Imports of Recycle PET Down 14% in 2017
Monthly import volume fell to 64,000 tons in December, the price steady throughout the fourth quarter around $490/ton.
China’s Imports of Recycle Polyethylene from Europe, North America and Asia Each Down 20-30%
China imported 1.9 million tons of recycle polyethylene from all sources in 2017, down 23%. Imports trended lower for most of the year with further declines expected in 2018 as restrictions come into full force. Continue reading
Middle East Propane Exports to Asia Down Two Years in a Row as North America’s Grow
Middle East exports of liquefied propane gas to Asia-Pacific are projected to be down 3% at yearend 2017, to 19.9 million tons. This follows a decline of 7% in Middle East shipments to the region in 2016 versus 2015. The Middle East’s much smaller exports to Africa also were down for the second year.
In contrast, North America’s exports to Asia-Pacific are projected to end up 18% in 2017, to 13.2 million tons. In 2016, North America’s shipments to that region had jumped 81% from the prior year.
North America’s exports to Western Europe and Latin America are projected to be down in 2017 but shipments to Eastern Europe and Africa have risen in each of the last two years.
US exports were 2.6 million tons in October and 2.4 million tons in November, both volumes near record levels. Shipments totaled 24.1 million tons through November, up 14% on higher volumes to Japan, China, Mexico, Korea and many others.
From International Trader Publications’ Liquefied Propane Gas World Trade Report – a continuously updated on line analysis of global trade based on statistics from 60 countries.