Chlor-alkali
Overview
The dynamic between chlorine and caustic soda and their varied end-uses creates a very dynamic market for chlor-alkali products, meaning that the markets do not grow equally.
Tracking this market requires a high level of understanding of the dynamics and the experience to interpret the market to provide an accurate price assessment.
Argus’ chlor-alkali experts will help you decide what trends to track and how to stay competitive in today’s ever-changing global markets.
Latest chlor-alkali news
Browse the latest market moving news on the global chlor-alkali industry.
Port of Vancouver grinds to halt as picket lines form
Port of Vancouver grinds to halt as picket lines form
Calgary, 5 November (Argus) — Commodity movements at the port of Vancouver have halted as a labour dispute could once against risk billions of dollars of trade at Canada's busiest docks. The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 514 began strike activity at 11am ET on 4 November, following through on a 72-hour notice it gave to the BC Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) on 1 November. The BCMEA subsequently locked out workers hours later that same day, 4 November, which the union says is an overreaction because the union's job action was only limited to an overtime ban for its 730 ship and dock foreman members. Natural resource-rich Canada is dependent on smooth operations at the British Columbia port of Vancouver to reach international markets. The port is a major conduit for many dry and liquid bulk cargoes, including lumber, wood pellets and pulp, grains and agriculture products, caustic soda and sodium chlorate, sugar, coal, potash, sulphur, copper concentrates, zinc and lead concentrate, diesel and renewable diesel liquids and petroleum products. These account for about two-thirds of the movements through the port. Canadians are also reliant on the port for the import of consumer goods and Asian-manufactured automobiles. The two sides have been at odds for 19 months as they negotiate a new collective agreement to replace the one that expired in March 2023. Intervention by the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB), with a hearing in August and September, followed by meetings in October with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS), failed to culminate in a deal. The BCMEA's latest offer is "demanding huge concessions," according to the ILWU Local 514 president Frank Morena. The BCMEA refutes that, saying it not only matches what the ILWU Longshore workers received last year, but includes more concessions. The offer remains open until withdrawn, the BCMEA said. A 13-day strike by ILWU longshore workers in July 2023 disrupted C$10bn ($7.3bn) worth of goods and commodities, especially those reliant on container ships, before an agreement was met. Grain and cruise operations are not part of the current lockout. The Westshore coal terminal is also expected to continue operations, the Port of Vancouver said on 4 November. The Trans Mountain-operated Westridge Marine Terminal, responsible for crude oil exports on Canada's west coast, should also not be directly affected because its employees are not unionized. In all, the port has 29 terminals. By Brett Holmes Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Dow to review European polyurethane assets
Dow to review European polyurethane assets
London, 24 October (Argus) — US chemicals firm Dow is undertaking a strategic review of its European polyurethanes assets, the company said today. Dow will consider whether there are divestment opportunities. The assets under review are not loss-making and have "good cost positions in the European market", chief executive Jim Fitterling said during the firm's third-quarter results call. The review "really isn't driven primarily by shutdowns", he said. Dow has a 635,000 t/yr chlorohydrin PO production plant in Stade, Germany, as well as related derivatives capacity at the site including 280,000 t/yr of propylene glycol production. The firm has 330,000 t/yr of HPPO capacity in Belgium as part of a join-venture with BASF and 684,000 t/yr of polyether polyols production capacity across three sites in Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain. It also has 380,000 t/yr of installed MDI production capacity across two sites in Germany and Portugal as part of its polyurethanes portfolio. "I don't believe shutting down MDI assets is going to be a value-creating opportunity, but we're going to look at everything," Fitterling said. The firm's chlor-alkali and vinyl (CaV) assets will be included in the review. "Chlorine-PO integration is critical for us," Fitterling said. "They are not [separable], we are not going to do anything without close contact with not only our own chlorine assets but also with our partners in Europe." Dow has two chlorine assets in Europe including 1mn t/yr of diaphragm capacity and 600,000 t/yr of membrane capacity at Stade, as well as 250,000 t/yr of membrane capacity at Schkopau in Germany. Fitterling did not discuss the firm's upstream assets but said the review in Europe "is around polyurethanes". The assets under review account for around 20pc of Dow's sales in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Dow expects to complete the review by mid-2025. The firm pointed to "key competitiveness issues" and "the higher cost position" in Europe. It said it has concerns around the "need for clear and consistent long-term regulatory policies for our industry". In the current environment, demand recovery is "unlikely to be enough" to provide swift growth in Europe, it said. LyondellBasell launched a similar strategic review of some European assets in May, although it has not yet announced any conclusions. Sales down Sales volumes in Dow's Industrial Intermediates & Infrastructure segment, which includes its polyurethanes business, fell by 2pc in the third quarter compared with a year earlier. This was driven by lower volumes in the Polyurethanes & Construction Chemicals business, "primarily from a force majeure in MDI following a third-party supplier outage", the company said. Net sales revenue for the Industrial Intermediates & Infrastructure segment was $3bn in July-September, down by 2pc from a year earlier. Local prices were flat year on year, the firm said. By Laura Tovey-Fall Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
CSX forecasts softer 4Q rail demand
CSX forecasts softer 4Q rail demand
Washington, 17 October (Argus) — Eastern US railroad said it expects that fourth quarter commodity market conditions will be mixed, limiting some freight demand. "Going into the fourth quarter, near-term conditions look modestly more challenging," chief executive Joe Hinrichs said on Wednesday. But the railroad expects "modest volume growth", supported by a few segments including chemicals and agriculture. But lower locomotive fuel prices and the impact of international coking coal prices, which are linked to export rail contracts, could drive a decrease in total revenue during the fourth quarter. He estimated that impact at roughly $200mn compared with last year's fourth quarter revenue of $3.68bn. CSX expects to see a carryover of year-over-year momentum in chemicals, agriculture and food, forest products and minerals, while metals and automotive will continue to be challenged. Demand for metals shipments is predicted to soften through the end of the year. Interest in shipments, particularly steel, is soft because of "sluggish demand, ample supply and low commodity prices", chief commercial officer Kevin Boone said. A weaker-than-anticipated automotive market contributed to the drop in metals demand. Consumer demand for automotive products has been reduced by high retail prices and interest rates, which has led to increased dealer inventories and slower production, Boone said. But CSX expects that an "interest rate easing cycle will help these markets normalize," Boone said. Metals and equipment volume fell in the second quarter, primarily because of lower steel and scrap shipments. Shipments of metals and equipment fell by 9pc to about 64,000 carloads compared with the same three months in 2023. Revenue dropped to $208mn, down by 8pc from a year earlier. Automotive volume dropped in the second quarter because of lower North American vehicle production, CSX said. Automotive traffic fell to 301,000 railcars loaded, down by 2pc from the third quarter 2023. Automotive revenue dropped to $98mn, down by 3pc compared with a year earlier. The outlook for fertilizer shipments is mixed following the third quarter as a decline in long-haul phosphates shipments persisted. Volume was negative, but the railroad was able to haul some profitable spot shipments. Shipments of fertilizer fell to 45,000 carloads in the third quarter, down by 4pc from a year earlier. Fertilizer revenue dropped to $118mn, down by 5pc from a year earlier. CSX expects growth in some market segments. Chemicals freight demand is expected to continue growing following "consistent, broad strength across plastics, industrial chemicals, LPGs, and waste. That demand helped boost chemicals volume by 9pc compared with a year earlier. Chemicals revenue rose to $727mn in the second quarter, up by 13pc compared with a year earlier. Agricultural and food products shipping demand is expected to continue growing, led by demand for grain and feed ingredients from the Midwest for supplies. That follows a third quarter when higher ethanol shipments, as well as increased overall volume helped raise volume by 9pc from the third quarter of 2023. Revenue from shipping agricultural and food products rose to $416mn, up by 11pc from a year earlier. CSX expects intermodal growth to continue with the trucking market falling, which would help drive more container freight to rail. Intermodal shipments are goods shipped in containers and trailers between different modes of transportation. The 1-3 October strike by the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) did impact intermodal traffic, but the railroad was pleased with the "relatively quick short-term solution", Boone said. International intermodal volume during the third quarter rose because of higher east-coast port traffic. Domestic volume was mostly flat. Overall intermodal volume during the quarter increased by 3pc compared with a year earlier. But lower revenue per container helped reduce total intermodal revenue by 2pc to $509mn. CSX does not expect a major shift in coal volume through the end of the year as coal markets seem relatively stable and utility stockpiles are sufficient, Boone said. Rising natural gas prices are also unlikely to stimulate a "near-term step-up in volumes". Export coal demand has been consistent lately, particularly from buyers in Asia. But revenue per railcar for export coal could make a modest single digit drop, as contracts are tied to international coal benchmarks and prices fell earlier this year. Expport coal voume rose to 11.1mn short tons (10.1mn metric tonnes) in the second quarter on higher demand for thermal and coking coal. But domestic coal deliveries fell to 10.2mn st, down by 12pc from a year earlier, on lower deliveries to power plants and lake and river terminals. Rail coal volume fell by 2pc from a year earlier, while revenue dropped by 7pc to 553mn st. Total CSX profits rose to $894mn, up by 8pc compared with third quarter 2023. Revenue increased to $3.6bn, up by 1pc. By Abby Caplan Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Some eastern US rail shipments restart after Helene
Some eastern US rail shipments restart after Helene
Washington, 30 September (Argus) — Some railroad operations in the southeastern US have resumed in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, but major carriers warn that some freight may be delayed while storm-damaged tracks are repaired. Rail lines in multiple states were damaged after Hurricane Helene made landfall on the northeastern Florida coast on 26 September as a category 4 storm and traveled northwards as a downgraded but still dangerous storm into Georgia, Tennessee, and the Carolinas. The storm left significant rain and wind damage in its wake, including washed-away roads, flooded lines, downed trees and power outages. Eastern railroads CSX and Norfolk Southern (NS) said they are working around the clock to restore service to their networks. Norfolk Southern said it had made "significant progress" towards its recovery with most major routes back in service including its Chattanooga, Tennessee, to Jacksonville, Florida, line as well as its Birmingham, Alabama, to Charlotte, North Carolina route. Norfolk Southern said freight moving through areas that are out of service could "see delays of 72 hours". Several of Norfolk Southern's other routes remain out of service, including rail lines east and west of Asheville, North Carolina, because of historic levels of flooding. There are multiple trees to remove along a 70-mile stretch from Macon, Georgia, to Brunswick, Georgia. And downed power lines are keeping the railroad's lines from Augusta, Georgia, to Columbia, South Carolina, and Millen, Georgia, out of service. CSX said "potential delays remain" but did not provide specifics. However, the railroad said it had made "substantial progress" in clearing and repairing its network. The railroad's operations in Florida have mostly reopened, as have rail lines in its Charleston subdivision, which crosses South Carolina and Georgia. But bridge damage and major flooding has kept CSX's Blue Ridge subdivision out of service. A portion of the line running from Erwin, Tennessee, to Spartanburg, South Carolina, has been cleared, but CSX said "a long-term outage" is expected for other parts of the rail line. By Abby Caplan Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
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