Industry News
Chemical Industry News
Carriers likely to remain cautious in return to Strait of Hormuz amid US-Iran peace deal
HOUSTON (ICIS)--Ocean carriers are likely to remain cautious before resuming transits through the Strait of Hormuz after the US and Iran reached a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that calls for...
Iran peace deal triggers US commodity chem sell-off, specialty rally
HOUSTON (ICIS)--US-listed share prices of commodity chemical producers fell in midday trading on Monday following news that the US and Iran have agreed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Dow Chemical...
INSIGHT: Peace deal may increase exposure to overcapacity, price pressure as Middle East, Asia chemicals production normalises
BARCELONA (ICIS)--The peace deal to end the war in the Middle East is likely to increase global chemical markets to underlying overcapacity and push chemical prices down as chemical production...
German gas-supply cushion may tighten if Hormuz risk keeps LNG competition elevated
Pipeline imports remain stable, led by Norway Late-June LNG cargoes could lift monthly total Hormuz risk may still tighten LNG competition FRANKFURT (ICIS)--German gas supply could remain comfortable...
GAS ALERT: Germany’s Uniper to auction capacity at 7Fields for the rest of storage year 2026/27
LONDON (ICIS)--German energy firm Uniper announced on 15 June that it is offering a total of 1.36TWh (around 129 million cubic meters) of gas storage capacity at it its 7Fields facility for the...
Europe DEG spot prices soften as weak demand overpowers supply constraints
LONDON (ICIS)--Prices in the European diethylene glycol (DEG) spot market were assessed down in the week ending 12 June as very weak demand abated concerns about supply constraints. DEG truck spot...
FBMC WEEKLY: French nuclear curtailment risks and weak wind set to support spot prices
Heatwave raises risk of French nuclear production restrictions from 20 June German wind forecast to average just 6.2GW/day in week 25 (ICIS Analytics) France set to remain FBMC’s cheapest market...
Europe MEG spot prices slide as demand falters
LONDON (ICIS)--Prices in the European monoethylene glycol (MEG) spot market were assessed lower in the week ending 12 June, with sellers unable to hold onto the premiums achieved in the immediate...
Socioeconomic background still holding back students in chemistry, RSC report finds
Access is only the first step to making the chemical sciences inclusive
AI agents accelerate catalyst discovery from simulation to scale-up
Artificial intelligence tools are transforming catalyst research, with new AI agents capable of completing in minutes what once took computational chemists days. Andy Extance explores how all scientists can benefit, from small groups to those at
Chinese shipyard starts building world’s largest LNG carrier, what lies ahead?
China starts building first of 24 Q-Max LNG carriers China and Korea compete for leading shipbuilder role Parent company CSSC faces challenges SINGAPORE (ICIS)--On 9 June, Chinese shipbuilder Hudong...
UPDATE: Oil prices slump, Asia chemical shares rally on US-Iran deal
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Oil prices fell to their lowest levels since March while Asian chemical shares rose sharply on Monday after the US and Iran reached a preliminary deal to end their war and resume...
HYDROGEN MARKET MONITOR: WEEK 24
LONDON (ICIS)--The following summary is part of a new series known as "Hydrogen Market Monitor", which comprises a round up of key hydrogen market developments from previous weeks, separated into the...
Norwegian power exports to UK drop amid low hydro, likely to persist into front quarter
Cold winter, high demand, low snow and weak wind speeds drove Nordic reservoir levels in H1 2026 to very low levels Low Norwegian hydro has supported UK power prices, with exports from Norway to the...
Plant status: Malaysia’s PRefChem may resume BD operations in H2 June
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Here is a plant status report: Name: Pengerang Refining and Petrochemical (PRefChem) Location: Pengarang, Malaysia Product: Butadiene (BD) Capacity (tonnes/year): 185,000 Event...
Empa spin-off Swiss Cluster wins the Swiss Economic Award
The Empa spin-off Swiss Cluster has received the Swiss Economic Award 2026 in the "Industry/Production" category. The young company develops equipment for vacuum-based thin-film processes. This technology can be used to protect complex components or
A Step Forward for Solar-Driven Ammonia Production
Sunlight, water, air and metal-organic catalysts – that could be all it takes: TU Wien has shown how catalyst design can be advanced for solar-driven NH3 synthesis. Without this chemical technology, feeding the world as
S Korea, Saudi Arabia agree to cooperate on oil, gas, petrochemicals
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Saudi Arabia and South Korea have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to increase cooperation in oil and gas, including crude oil stockpiling, and the development and...
Asia MEG prices plunge on falling crude
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Asia’s monoethylene glycol (MEG) prices plunged on Monday trading as the crude futures sank after US said an agreement with Iran had been reached and the Strait of Hormuz will...
China’s average run rate of PO plants rises to 58.1% on operational ramp-up
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--China’s propylene oxide (PO) plants posted an average run rate at 58.1% in the week ended 12 June 2026, up by 1.5 percentage points from the last reporting period, ICIS data...