July naphtha imports in Japan spike 25% on month

16-Aug-12

Japan's naphtha imports for ethylene production in July jumped 25.2% month on month to 1.238 million mt, as per the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, as reported by Platts. During the month, demand for naphtha increased as turnarounds at two naphtha-fed steam crackers came to an end. The import price for naphtha averaged US$869.5/mt in July, down 10.6% from US$972.4/mt in June. Demand for naphtha increased as Maruzen Petrochemical restarted its 550,000 tpa Chiba steam cracker on June 21 after maintenance since mid-May. Mitsubishi Chemical also restarted its 375,000 tpa No. 1 steam cracker at Kashima on July 4 after a turnaround since May 10.