Industry News
Chemical Industry News
Europe chemicals stocks muted as IEA urges producers to switch feedstocks
LONDON (ICIS)--European markets rounded off the week on a slightly weaker note, as the IEA dubbed the conflict in the Middle East “the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil...
Brazil agriculture sector sounds alarm as Middle East war threatens fertilizer, fuel cost spiral
SAO PAULO (ICIS)--Brazil’s vast agricultural sector is bracing for a sharp rise in input costs as the ongoing conflict in the Middle East drives up oil, natural gas, fertilizer and diesel prices at...
European naphtha markets surge on supply shock, soaring oil prices
LONDON (ICIS)--European naphtha markets strengthened sharply this week, driven by escalating Middle East tensions, tightening physical supply and a strong crude backdrop, with prompt markets entering...
Plant status: Shell shuts Moerdijk POSM unit for maintenance
LONDON (ICIS)--Here is a plant status report: Name: Shell Chemicals Location: Moerdijk, Netherlands Products: Styrene monomer (SM), propylene oxide (PO) Capacity (tonnes/year): 450,000 SM, 210,000 PO...
Trinseo wins waivers from lenders, debt talks continue
HOUSTON (ICIS)--Trinseo has secured temporary waivers and concessions from lenders, buying it time to continue negotiations to find a solution to its financial troubles. In an update on Friday, the...
US moves to roll back ethylene oxide exposure rules
Environmental Protection Agency will relax limits on emissions from commercial sterilisers
Discovery of unique modification to plant’s carbon dioxide-fixing enzyme could boost crops
Linker that joins up Rubisco cuts synthesis of toxic byproduct that plants pay a heavy energy price to deal with
Hormuz blockade puts global supply chains under pressure
The current blockade of the Strait of Hormuz - one of the most important shipping routes for the global oil trade - is becoming an increasing risk for the global economy. A new study by
LANXESS cuts a further 550 jobs and reduces working hours to 35 hours
A market environment that remained weak and high levels of geopolitical uncertainty characterized the 2025 fiscal year for specialty chemicals company LANXESS. At EUR 5.673 billion, revenue was down 10.9 percent from the previous year’s
High-pressure dispersion makes LFP battery production more sustainable
Researchers at Fraunhofer IPA show how different dispersion processes optimize the production of environmentally friendly lithium iron phosphate cathodes. Wet jet milling saves process energy by up to 42 percent - with almost the same
hubergroup is raising prices in Europe due to the Middle East conflict
hubergroup announced that it implements necessary price adjustments across its global product portfolio. This decision comes as a direct result of the significant supply chain and energy market disruptions triggered by the ongoing conflict in
Europe SAN March contract prices rise €100/tonne
LONDON (ICIS)--March contract prices in the Europe styrene acrylonitrile (SAN) market have increased €100/tonne, mostly driven by the upstream styrene contract prices increase of €75/tonne for...
US Jones Act waiver could tighten global chem tanker capacity
HOUSTON (ICIS)--The 60-day waiver of the Jones Act - which requires that goods shipped between US ports must be carried on vessels that are US-built, US-flagged and mostly US-owned - could tighten...
NYMEX: US gas futures increase despite bearish US gas storage release
Front-month US natural gas futures gained on 19 March on increased US LNG feedgas demand The April 2026 Henry Hub contract on NYMEX settled at $3.166/MMBtu, up nearly 3.3% from the previous session...
AFPM ’26: LatAm chemicals caught between Iran war impacts, debt crises, Brazil’s protectionism battle
SAO PAULO (ICIS)--Latin America's chemicals industry is navigating a deepening set of crises in early 2026 as the war in Iran sends freight costs and raw material prices surging and with most major...
CRUDE SUMMARY: Brent, WTI prices finish mixed following increased Iran attacks across Middle East
Iran increases attacks against Middle Eastern energy infrastructure Front month Brent-WTI spread at widest since November 2013 Brent M1-M7 backwardation climbs to highest on ICIS record LONDON...
German SGL Carbon targets defense and nuclear SMRs as growth markets
LONDON (ICIS)--SGL Carbon is targeting new growth markets as demand in key existing auto and semiconductor markets remains weak, the Germany-based company said in an update on Thursday. The new...
European power markets track gas spike after Ras Laffan attacks; Germany and Italy widen premiums over France
By Giovanni Musella, Anna Coulson, Gemma Blundell-Doyle and Johnathan Hamilton-Eve European power curves rose sharply on 19 March, tracking gas gains, as fears of extended LNG disruption grow...
Europe BDO March contracts rise by triple digits on supply constraints, higher upstream costs
LONDON (ICIS)--European butanediol (BDO) contracts for March settled at a €100/tonne increase from February - the second month in a row of triple digit increases from the previous month. Some...
OMV, ADNOC expect to conclude petchem mega-merger to form BGI by end of March
LONDON (ICIS)--Austria's OMV and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) said on Thursday that they expect to complete their mega-merger to form international chemicals giant Borouge Group...