Industry News
Chemical Industry News
Drone attacks cause unit shutdowns at Kuwaiti Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery
HOUSTON (ICIS)--The Kuwait National Petroleum Co (KNPC) is shutting down parts of the Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery after drone attacks caused fires at several units, parent company Kuwait Petroleum Corp...
Brazil’s Lula signs expanded chemical tax break amid global supply turmoil
SAO PAULO (ICIS)--Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva signed into law an expanded tax relief regime for the country's chemical and petrochemical producers, slashing levies on key inputs by...
Chem tanker rates ex-USG surge on Middle East conflict; Asia-US container rates edge higher
HOUSTON (ICIS)--Spot rates for US chemical tankers ex-US Gulf surged this week as the conflict in the Middle East has tightened chemical supply in Europe and has caused a shortage of space in the US...
Brazil’s Unipar flags margin uncertainty as PVC demand softens
SAO PAULO (ICIS)--Unipar’s margin visibility remains limited amid volatile raw material costs and subdued domestic demand, but an overhaul at its Cubatao plant and a new federal tax relief measure...
AFPM ’26: INSIGHT: Tariffs persist amid improved regulatory climate
HOUSTON (ICIS)--The chemical industry will continue to contend with tariffs because the US will likely recreate much of the tariff regime that was dismantled by a recent decision by the nation's top...
NYMEX: US gas futures ease on bearish gas storage and late winter seasonality
Front-month US natural gas futures lower on 20 March after the market digests recent repercussions of the Middle East conflict The April 2026 Henry Hub contract on NYMEX settled at $3.095/MMBtu, down...
Europe styrene weighted average up for fourth consecutive month in March
LONDON (ICIS)--The Europe styrene monthly weighted average spot price has been assessed higher for a fourth consecutive month in March. The March weighted average was assessed at $1,360/tonne, up by...
CRUDE SUMMARY: Crude price rally less pronounced as prospect of easing sanctions on Iranian oil
International efforts to protect Hormuz shipping gathering pace US mulls option of easing sanctions on Iranian oil at sea Trump mulls occupation of Iran’s Kharg Island oil export facility US rig...
EU BPA spot rises, on Middle East conflict-induced import supply risk; costs
LONDON (ICIS)--Europe bisphenol A (BPA) spot prices firmed this week on increased buying interest, driven by Asian import supply concerns and rising costs linked to the Middle East conflict. This...
FUCHS targets sales and profit growth, despite geopolitical tensions
LONDON (ICIS)--Despite the ongoing geopolitical tensions and uncertainties, German lubricants producer FUCHS expects to improve sales and earnings in 2026, it said in an update on Friday. With its...
Plant status: LyondellBasell declares force majeure on p-series glycol ethers following US Bayport fire
HOUSTON (ICIS)--Here is a plant status report: Name: LyondellBasell Location: Bayport, Texas, USA Product: Glycol ethers Capacity (tonnes/year): 104,000 Event start: 18 March Reason: Force majeure...
Mounting pressure on Europe PTA as supply chain constricts
LONDON (ICIS)--Mounting import disruptions, and a wave of requests for downstream polyethylene terephthalate (PET) are tightening purified terephthalic acid (PTA) availability expectations in Europe...
Alpek pursues $400/tonne PET surcharge in Argentina
SAO PAULO (ICIS)--Alpek Polyester announced it is seeking a temporary $400/tonne price surcharge on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) in Argentina for all orders from 23 March. This surcharge replaces...
ICIS POWER INSIGHT WEEK 12 NEWS IN BRIEF
This news summary was generated via Ask ICIS LONDON (ICIS)--Please find below a short summary of the key power stories ICIS published in week 12. Gas prices to keep driving Hungarian April ’26...
Plant status: Dow Chemical to conduct planned outage at German PGE unit in March/April
LONDON (ICIS)--Here is a plant status report: Name: Dow Chemical Location: Stade, Germany Product: Propylene glycol ethers Capacity (tonnes/year): 110,000 Event start: March Event finish: April...
XRG moves to ‘squeeze out’ remaining Covestro shareholders
LONDON (ICIS)--Abu Dhabi National Oil Company’s (ADNOC) XRG investment subsidiary has submitted a formal request to “squeeze out” the remaining shareholders of Germany’s Covestro, officials...
Europe’s acetone truck spot prices spike on scarce supply
LONDON (ICIS)--European acetone truck spot prices surged this week as the market appeared to tighten further and those in need of material had to pay the higher prices offered. Shortages of supply...
EU leaders’ summit pledges to keep working to address rising energy prices
EU leaders agree to keep working to mitigate rising energy prices No price caps presented among immediate response measures Toolbox of measures to come; ETS review due by July 2026 LONDON (ICIS)--EU...
European phenol contract adder talks kick off with cost and demand worries
LONDON (ICIS)--European Q2 phenol contract adder talks are slowly getting underway although some players will wait a little longer to see the impact of the Middle East conflict on energy and...
Europe methanol spot prices up by 8%, at January 2025 highs
LONDON (ICIS)--European methanol spot prices increased by 8% week on week based on the ICIS mid-point, remaining at their highest level since January 2025. While prices continued to trend upward,...