The balanced nature of the propylene market in Western Europe in 2018 was evident in the region’s trade, with intra-regional trade up slightly from the prior year and declines on both imports and exports.
Western Europe’s intraregional trade of 2.4 million tons in 2018 was up 2% from the prior year. Exports to other regions fell for the second year in a row, down 24%, to 119,000 tons.
The most striking change in 2018 was in the region’s imports which totaled 311,000 tons, down 12%. By comparison, imports in 2017 had jumped by 59%, supplies pulled in from Eastern Europe and, with smaller volumes, North America, Latin America and the Middle East.
With numerous cracker shutdowns scheduled for 2019 reducing propylene supplies, higher imports are likely.
From International Trader Publications’ Propylene World Trade Report, an on line Report, updated daily and capturing nearly all of the world’s trade volume.