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Asia/Pacific

2018 Industry Leaders’ Viewpoints

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Nichols, Lee

To kick off the new year, industry leaders and esteemed colleagues shared their viewpoints on 2018 and beyond with Hydrocarbon Processing. These viewpoints offer insight into growing regions of activity, technological advances, and how the downstream industry can innovate in 2018 and into the future.

US crude ends year above $60 on strong global oil demand

CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) — US oil prices closed above $60/bbl on the final trading day of the year, the first time since mid-2015, as the commodity ended 2017 with a 12% gain spurred by strong demand and declining global inventories.

Glencore sells parts of oil storage to China's HNA, awaits US clearance

HONG KONG (Reuters) — Swiss-based trading and mining giant Glencore Plc has partly completed the sale of a 51% stake in its storage and logistics businesses to a unit of China’s HNA Group, although transfer of some assets is pending US clearance.

After Trump criticism, China denies selling oil illicitly to N.Korea

BEIJING/WASHINGTON (Reuters) — China on Friday denied reports it has been illicitly selling oil products to North Korea after US President Donald Trump said he was not happy that China had allowed oil to reach the isolated nation.

Oil prices stay near high on strong US refinery runs, China data

NEW YORK (Reuters) — Oil prices edged up on Thursday, remaining near 2-1/2-year highs after data showed strong demand for crude imports in China and on increased US refining activity that drew more crude from inventories.

China raises 1st batch of 2018 oil product export quotas by 30%

SINGAPORE (Reuters) — China raised refined products export quotas to its four state oil majors by 30 percent in the first batch of allowances for 2018, a document reviewed by Reuters showed on Thursday.

Asia's monthly Iran oil imports skid to lowest in Nov since Apr 2016

TOKYO (Reuters) — Imports of Iranian crude oil by major buyers in Asia tumbled 29% in November from the same month a year ago to the lowest volumes since April 2016, government and ship-tracking data showed.

Hanwa and Integr8 Fuels added to Platts' Asia bunker MOC process

SINGAPORE (Reuters) — S&P Global Platts added Hanwa Singapore Pte Ltd and Integr8 Fuels Inc last week to its Asia Market On Close (MOC) assessment process for Singapore physical bunkers, the company said in a note seen on Wednesday.

LG Chem to invest $278 MM to increase acrylic acid, super absorbent polymer output

SEOUL (Reuters) — LG Chem Ltd, South Korea’s largest chemical company, said on Tuesday it will spend $278.32 MM on expanding its acrylic acid and superabsorbent polymer production capacity by the first half of 2019.

Sinopec to expand NPG capacity at Yangzi refinery

BEIJING (Reuters) — Sinopec to double capacity of the Neopentylglycol (NPG) production line at its Yangzi refinery from 40,000 tpy to 80,000 tpy, the company said on Monday.