MOSCOW: Russia’s high density polyethylene (HDPE) imports totalled 176,400 tonnes in the first 11 months of the year, down by 36% year on year, according to MRC DataScope. The greatest decrease in imports occurred for extrusion blow moulding (EBM) and pipe extrusion HDPE. November HDPE imports into Russia increased to 18,100 tonnes against 17,900 tonnes in October because of the increased shipments of PE for EBM from Uzbekistan.
Total HDPE imports into Russia dropped to 176,400 tonnes in January – November, compared with 274,100 tonnes year on year. Such a serious decline in supply resulted from stable production at all Russian producers, the rouble devaluation and the reduction in demand in some sectors of consumption.
November imports of HDPE for extrusion coating of large-diameter pipes decreased to 1,300 tonnes compared with 1,800 tonnes in October.
Total imports of this type of HDPE into Russia reduced 43,100 tonnes in the first eleven months of the year, down 21% year on year. Demand for this type of HDPE fell, partly because of the growth in domestic production from Metaclay.
Russia’s imports of injection moulding HDPE in November rose to 3,800 tonnes from 3,100 tonnes in October. Because of the reduced output of this type of polyethylene at Russian producers, local converters had to compensate for the lack of feedstock by imports. Russia’s imports of injection moulding HDPE were about 42,200 tonnes in January-November, down 2% year on year.
November imports of HDPE for pipes extrusion from Russia were about 6,000 tonnes versus 6,400 tonnes in October. Modernisation of pipe PE production at Kazanorgsintez, which resulted in the reduction of production volumes of polyethylene, was the main reason for the high imports last month.
Total imports of pipe PE in the country were 38,300 tonnes in the first 11 months of the year, compared with 79,300 tonnes year on year.
Last month’s imports of HDPE for EBM into Russia increased to 2,900 tonnes against 1,400 tonnes in October, because of the reduction in purchases from local producers. Total imports of HDPE for extrusion blowmoulding into Russia were about 23,600 tonnes in the first 11 months of the year, compared with 49,300 tonnes in the same period a year earlier.
November imports of film HDPE into Russia decreased to 2,900 tonnes, from 3,300 tonnes a month earlier. Total imports of film HDPE into the country decreased to 17,100 tonnes in the first 11 months of this year, compared with 35,200 tonnes in the same period last year.
The total imports of high-density polyethylene in other sectors of consumption, including the extrusion of cable products, reduced to about 12,200 tonnes in January-November of the current year against 13,100 tonnes in the same time a year earlier. MRC, a partner of ICIS, produces polymers news and pricing reports from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.