Western Europe’s imports through April 2014 of both LDPE and LLDPE from the Middle East were down 42% from the prior year; imports of polypropylene homopolymer were down 11%. HDPE imports increased 1%.  HDPE and LLDPE were the two largest volume polymer imports from the Middle East into the region, 218,000 tons and 159,000 tons, respectively, April 2014 YTD.

Although net imports from all sources into Western Europe of each of these polymers showed declines, the region’s exports were up, mainly on shipments to Eastern Europe but also, in the case of LDPE, on Asia-Pacific trade.