Saudi Arabia exported 4.4 million tons of polypropylene (all grades, partly estimated) in 2024, down 14%. The UAE shipped 1.7 million tons, down 7%. (UAE does not publish statistics; data is visible from trading partners). Shipments to Asia-Pacific were the most impacted.
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Saudi Arabia and UAE Expand Polyethylene Exports in 2024 Despite Trade Challenges
Saudi Arabia exported 10.6 million tons of polyethylene (all grades, partly estimated) in 2024, up 2% from 2023. The UAE shipped 3.8 million tons, up 11%. (UAE does not publish statistics; data is visible from trading partners). Key to the expansions were regional shifts.
Continue readingITP Projects Higher Global Trade Volume in 2024 For Many Widely Traded Polymers and Chemicals
Although final trade statistics for 2024 will not be available for many countries until March of 2025, ITP’s analysis of trends for individual countries indicates expanded global trade volume in 2024 for the majority of products. Increased global trade generally indicates increased demand.
Continue readingMost Widely-Traded Petrochemicals and Related Products Will Show Increased Global Trade Volume September 2024 YTD Versus September 2023 YTD
Gains or declines in global trade volume have wide-ranging implications for shippers, producers, marketers and planners.
Continue readingTrends in Polyolefin Polymer Trade in Western Europe in 2023
Polyolefin polymer demand in Western Europe in 2023 is measurable in part from the region’s intra-regional trade, its imports from other regions, and its exports to other regions. Lower intra-regional trade and lower imports indicate a drop in demand from one year to the next. These were evident in 2023 versus 2022 for LDPE, linear PE, HDPE, and PP homopolymer. Lower polymer demand in a region is also usually associated with an increase in a region’s exports, if conditions make this possible. Western Europe’s exports of HDPE did increase in 2023, but shipments of other polymers were constrained by low demand in other regions and surging exports from North America.
Continue readingTrends in EDC and VCM Global Trade
Global trade volume for both EDC and VCM trended upward from 2018 through 2020 but then diverged, with profound changes in regional, and country, imports and exports over the period.
Continue readingTrends in Polypropylene Exports and Imports by Region from 2018 to 2022
Strong growth in exports of polypropylene out of the Middle East, and, in 2021 and 2022, also out of Asia-Pacific, were prominent trends in a comparison of regional exports from 2018 through 2022. Imports were mixed but generally increased into Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Africa and Latin America over the period.
Continue readingTrends in Polyethylene Exports and Imports by Region from 2018 to 2022
Much higher exports out of North America and flat exports out of the Middle East were evident from a comparison of regional exports from 2018 through 2022. On the import side, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Africa and Latin America saw steady growth in imports.
Continue readingEU Bans Imports of Most Polymers from Russia
On October 6, 2022 the EU placed additional sanctions on almost 7 billion Euro’s worth of imports from Russia. These included most polymers.
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.
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