Middle East
Fiatech and PCA lead charge for unified industry interoperability activities
Fiatech and the POSC Caesar Association (PCA) have endorsed unifying all industry-wide ISO 15926 interoperability initiatives under the name iRING.
Dow Chemical to shut 20 plants, cut 2,400 jobs
Dow's CEO Andrew Liveris says the cutbacks demonstrate a resolve to tightly manage operations, particularly in Europe, while mitigating the impact of a "slow-growth environment". With the moves, Dow expects to save $500 million in annual operating costs by the end of 2014.
Foster Wheeler, Amec win Kuwait refinery work
Amec was awarded the consultancy contract for building a new 615,000 bpd refinery, while Foster Wheeler was appointed as consultant for the so-called clean fuel project, under which two of Kuwait's three existing refineries at Al-Ahmadi and Mina Abdullah will be upgraded.
Iraq invites foreign companies to develop Nassiriya oilfield, refinery project
The contract would come in a package that would include the construction of a refinery and will have more favorable terms than the previous service contracts that Iraq signed with international oil companies, a domestic oil industry official said, without giving further details.
Saudi Aramco chooses engineering contractors for Jazan refinery project
The Jazan refinery and terminal project is a 400,000 bpd refinery with associated terminal facilities on the Red Sea near Jazan. Scheduled for completion in late 2016, the refinery will process Arabian Heavy and Arabian Medium crude oils, and produce gasoline, ultra-low sulfur diesel, benzene and paraxylene.
Air Products forms Saudi industrial gases venture
Air Products says the new industrial gases venture complements the company's existing presence in Saudi Arabia, noting that it also has nearby offices in Doha, Qatar, and Dubai and works closely with the Middle East region's petrochemical, gasification and refining industries.
Foster Wheeler to build packaging center for Saudi chemical complex of Sadara
The packaging center, expected to be completed in the second half of 2014, will serve as a logistics handling hub. The facility will handle packaging, storage and loading of chemical products and performance plastics for road and rail transport within Saudi Arabia and for export to overseas markets.
Citgo reports fire at Corpus Christi refinery in Texas
The fire started earlier this week but resulted in no injuries, a Citgo official said. An investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing, the official said. The Corpus refinery has a capacity of 163,000 bpd.
OPEC lowers global oil demand forecasts for 2012
Economic growth is mostly set to come from emerging markets, but these countries are reliant on exports to developed economies, which have performed sluggishly this year. Moreover, improvements in the global economy are dependent on the success of government and central-bank action.
Dow Chemical agrees to market, sell products from Saudi Sadara venture
Products covered under the new agreement include polyethylene (PE), propylene oxide, polyether polyols, methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) and toluene diisocyanate (TDI) aromatic isocyanates, propylene glycol, butyl glycol ethers, amines and polyolefin elastomers.
- AVTL to develop ammonia terminal in Pipavav, India 6/20
- Chevron seeks buyers for 50% stake in Singapore refinery 6/20
- Asian refiners seek more Mideast oil after spot premiums jump on Israel-Iran conflict 6/20
- Mexican authorities discover clandestine mini-refinery in crackdown of illegal hydrocarbon trade 6/20
- Italy's Eni eyes new unit to manage oil refineries 6/20
- Inatech's Techoil implemented by Flint Hills Resources for a modern, integrated future 6/20
