Market sources told SSESSMENTS.COM that unplanned outages at Borealis' Stenungsund cracker and SABIC's Wilton cracker might cause propylene supply tightness in the European coastal market. One of the sources said that the shutdown would keep supply balanced, while a trader expected the outages would support propylene prices.
Previously, SSESSMENTS.COM reported that SABIC halted operations at its 415,000 tons/year cracker in Teesside, near Wilton, in North East England due to technical problems on its cooling tower. The repair is expected to take up to 14 days starting from June 17.
Meanwhile, Borealis keeps its cracker in Stenungsund, Sweden offline since a force majeure declaration on May 11. Sources said that the unit, which can produce up to 150,000 tons/year propylene, has been shut longer than initially expected with no confirmed restart date.
