Through May, 2017, China imported a total of 5.4 million tons of ethylene polymers, up 17% from the same period in 2016. Iran supplied 823,000 tons, or 15%, of the total, down 7%. A restriction on imports into China from Iran, will likely be made up by Saudi Arabia, US, Korea and UAE, among others.
Tag Archives: US
New: Liquefied Butanes Gas World Trade Report
This new Report tracks the movement of liquefied butanes between all importing and exporting countries and regions. In 2016, trade volume was 35 million tons, up 1% from 2015. Preliminary data shows volume March 2017 YTD up 6%. Continue reading
Mexico’s Polyethylene Trade
Mexico’s exports of HDPE rose sharply in the second quarter of 2016, while exports of L/LLDPE continued a gradual upward trend. Imports of both polymers also trended higher. Major shifts in imports and exports are expected as Braskem Idesa’s new plant ramps up. Continue reading
Recent Trends in Butadiene Trade
Substantially higher butadiene export from Western Europe and Latin America were prominent trade trends through May, 2016.
Recent Trends in Propylene Monomer Trade
Much higher propylene monomer exports from both North America and Western Europe to Latin America were among the trends visible in global propylene trade through March, 2016.
US Exports of Ethylene
After more than a year of inactivity, the United States began exporting ethylene in May, 2015, and shipments since then have averaged roughly 15,000 tons per month.
Polypropylene Global Trade Trends
The volume of polypropylene homopolymer traded globally in 2015 was 17.3 million tons, up 3% from 2014. Imports into Asia-Pacific were unchanged from the prior year. Western Europe’s imports rose 21%; North America’s, 42%, but on small volumes. Data available to date for 2016 indicates a continuation of these trends.
Propylene Copolymers Global Trade Trends
Large volumes of both propylene copolymers and polypropylene homopolymer are traded globally. In 2015, propylene copolymer trade totaled 8.4 million tons, up 5%. This compared with 17.3 million tons of polypropylene homopolymer trade, up 3%.
US Methanol Exports Set New Record Early in 2016
There has been an upward trend in United States exports of methanol for several months with shipments in both January and February 2016 at new record levels. Continue reading
China’s Fabricated Plastic Products Exports Surge
China’s exports of fabricated plastic products surged in December 2015 and ended the year up 6% from 2014. Exports of several large-volume fabricated products set new record highs.