All posts by mickeybarb@charter.net

Ammonium Polyphosphate

Ammonium Polyphosphate, California, Eastern Cornbelt, Market Watch, Pacific N.W., Western Canada, Western Cornbelt

Eastern Cornbelt:

The 10-34-0 market was pegged at $900-$910/st FOB in the Eastern Cornbelt at mid-month, with the low confirmed at Cincinnati.

Western Cornbelt:

Sources continued to report limited 10-34-0 offers in the $900-$910/st FOB range in the Western Cornbelt.

California:

The 10-34-0 market in California firmed to $855-$860/st FOB for April, up $81-$86/st from March. 11-37-0 pricing also strengthened on April 1, with the market moving to $936/st FOB El Centro, up from $837-$842/st FOB in March.

Pacific Northwest:

10-34-0 pricing in the Pacific Northwest was reported at the $846/st level FOB Hedges, Wash., up from $774/st FOB in March. The 11-37-0 market firmed on April 1 to $917/st FOB Hedges and $892/st DEL in Idaho, up from March levels at $839/st FOB Hedges and $814/st DEL in Idaho.

Western Canada:

The 10-34-0 market was pegged at C$1,150-$1,185/mt DEL for limited April-May tons in Western Canada, up C$10/mt at the high end of the range.

Muriate of Potash

California, Eastern Cornbelt, India, Indonesia, Market Watch, Pacific N.W., Potash Muriate, U.S. Gulf, Western Canada, Western Cornbelt

U.S. Gulf:

NOLA potash barges were called $775-$820/st FOB for the latest trades, though sources speculated that higher numbers were possible for exports.

Eastern Cornbelt:

Potash pricing in the Eastern Cornbelt was reported at $800-$825/st FOB during the week, depending on location, with the Cincinnati market quoted at the $815/st FOB level.

Western Cornbelt:

Potash pricing was quoted at $800-$825/st FOB in the Western Cornbelt, depending in location, with the St. Louis market pegged in the $810-$825/st FOB range for new spring offers.

California:

The potash market was steady at $875-$895/st FOB in California for 2Q tons, with the low reported for 60 percent MOP and the high for 62 percent.

Pacific Northwest:

Potash pricing in the Pacific Northwest remained at a firm $880/st FOB or DEL for 60 percent MOP and $900/st FOB or DEL for 62 percent MOP. Intrepid announced a $50/st increase on April 1, with new mine postings FOB Moab and Wendover, Utah, firming to $850/st for 60 percent white standard and $855/st for 60 percent white granular.

Western Canada:

Western Canada sources quoted truck pricing for potash in the C$1,010-$1,015/mt range FOB Saskatchewan mines, depending on grade, up from a low of C$990/mt at last report.

India:

National Fertilizers Ltd. (NFL) on April 11 once again extended the closing date of its Request for Proposals (RFP) for a long-term agreement/MOU with potash producers for the supply of potash during FY22/23 (GM April 8, p. 15). The RFP, first issued on Feb. 17 (GM Feb. 18, p. 15), originally had been due to close on March 21.

The buyer is looking for firm quantities of 200,000 mt of standard pink/red potash.Like NFL, RCF has also extended the closing date of its tender for 105,000 mt of white/pink standard potash from April 11 to April 19 (GM April 8, p. 15).

Sources reported that RCF had not received a single offer as of the original closing date, likely reflecting the lack of available supply. The buyer was looking for the required tons to be delivered to MBPT HB in three 35,000 mt lots in April, May, and June.

RCF first called a tender for the required volumes at the start of this year, but subsequently re-issued the tender more than once.

Indonesia:

Sources reported that PT Pupuk Indonesia has made awards at around the $950/mt CFR level for some of the 300,000-400,000 mt standard potash requirement under its recent tender (GM April 8, p. 15).

Details are sketchy on the suppliers and volumes awarded, however. The buyer had been looking for the tons to be shipped starting in the current quarter to the end of 2022.

Brazil:

The price range for potash in Brazil tightened to $1,200-$1,250/mt CFR. The price rise came as concerns grew over replacing material that could be lost due to sanctions against Russia and Belarus. Potash from these two countries represented about 57 percent of March 2022 imports, according to Trade Data Monitor, for a total tonnage of 500,000 mt.

The Rondonopolis price tightened to $1,300-$1,360/mt FOB ex-warehouse.

Imports for the first quarter of the year came in at 2.5 million mt, according to Trade Data Monitor, reflecting a negligible difference from last year. Canada topped the sales into Brazil with 719,000 mt, followed by Russia with 659,000 mt, Belarus with 613,000 mt, and Germany with 203,000 mt.

March 2022 imports were reported at 880,000 mt, up 16 percent from March 2021 imports of 755,000 mt.

Concern remains among buyers about how supplies will be affected as the last of the pre-sanction cargoes from Russia and Belarus dock and unload their product.

Sulfur

ADNOC - Abu Dhabi, Alberta, Brazil, China, Market Watch, Qatar, Sulfur, Tampa, U.S. Exports, U.S. Gulf, Vancouver, West Coast

Tampa:

ExxonMobil Corp. on April 11 shut down a 275,000 barrel/d crude distillation unit (CDU) at the company’s Joliet, Ill., refinery, Genscape reported. Exxon is expected to power down a 95,000 barrel/d fluidic catalytic cracking unit (FCC) and a 12,000 barrel/d alkylation unit in April as part of a planned turnaround.

The CDU was noted restarting on April 12, but is ultimately slated to be powered down again as part of the upcoming “weeks long” maintenance project.

Tampa molten sulfur contracts for delivery in the second quarter were noted at $481/lt CFR, a 71 percent increase from $282/lt CFR agreed in the first quarter.

U.S. refining capacity moved lower, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA). Capacity utilization for the week ending April 8 was reported at 90.0 percent, a 2.5 point decrease from 92.5 percent in the prior report. The rate remained ahead of the year-ago 85.0 percent and the 84.8 percent five-year average, however.

Crude inputs were also down, the EIA indicated, moving to an average 15.523 million barrels/d from the week-ago 15.948 million barrels/d, a 425,000 barrel/d decline.

U.S. Exports:

Sulfur exports firmed 38.3 percent in July-February, to 1.03 million st from the year-ago 747,659 st. Exports totaled 196,340 st for February, a 134.1 percent increase from 83,878 st recorded in February 2021.

U.S. Gulf:

ExxonMobil restarted a 116,000 barrel/d FCC at its Baton Rouge, La., plant on April 8, Genscape reported. The unit had been offline since Feb. 24. The 80,000 barrel/d ACU-2 crude section was restarted at the TotalEnergies Port Arthur, Texas, refinery on April 11. The unit was shut on April 6.

All monitored units at the Placid Port Allen, La., facility were taken offline on April 12, including an 83,000 barrel/d CDU; a 27,000 barrel/d vacuum distillation unit (VDU); a 25,000 barrel/d FCC; an 11,000 barrel/d catalytic reforming unit; two 20,000 barrel/d hydrotreaters; and a ROSE unit. The CDU, VDU, and one hydrotreater were observed restarting on the morning of April 13.

U.S. Gulf sulfur pricing continued to be noted in the $460-$480/mt FOB range, steady from one week earlier.

Brazil:

Last-done Brazil spot pricing continued to be quoted in the $510-$530/mt CFR range, unchanged from week-ago levels. Contracts for second-quarter contracts were reportedly settled in the $480-$485/mt CFR range.

Vancouver:

Last-done at Vancouver was reported in the $400-$410/mt FOB range. Values were predicted to move higher in the next round of business.

Alberta:

Netbacks for the Alberta sulfur market were quoted in the $330-$411/mt FOB range, unmoved from the prior report. Solid tons selling through the Vancouver export market reflected the weekly low, while molten sulfur contracted into the U.S. were projected toward the upper end of the spread.

West Coast:

Genscape reported the shutdown of a 251,000 barrel/d CDU at the BP Cherry Point, Wash., refinery on April 12. Significant reductions in operational activity were noted to begin at the same time.

West Coast prills continued to be indicated at $400-$410/mt FOB, unmoved from one week earlier. Players called second-quarter molten contracts in the $375-$390/lt FOB range, up $145/lt from $230-$245/lt FOB in the prior period.

China:

Recent China spot sulfur imports remained in the $465-$470/mt CFR range for the week, steady from the prior report.

ADNOC:

Prilled sulfur offered by the Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. was reported at $420/mt FOB Ruwais for April loading, an increase of $85/mt from $335/mt FOB in January.

Qatar:

Muntajat offers for April were heard at $430/mt FOB Ras Laffan, lifting $97/mt from the previous month’s $333/mt FOB level.

Sulfuric Acid

Brazil, Gulf Coast, Market Watch, Midwest, Sulfuric Acid, U.S. Exports, U.S. Gulf, West Coast

U.S. Gulf:

Price ideas in the Gulf were last heard at $260-$265/mt CFR, unmoved from the prior report. Firming sentiment could move the market higher in the next round of business, however.

U.S. Exports:

Sulacid exports moved up 64.9 percent in July-February, to 210,658 st from the year-ago 127,737 st. Shipments were noted at 12,740 st for February, however, down 7.2 percent from the year-ago 13,724 st.

Gulf Coast:

Annual Gulf Coast contracts were quoted in the $195-$230/st DEL range for 2022.

Midwest:

Material delivered to the Midwest was quoted even with the Gulf Coast at $195-$230/st DEL.

West Coast:

The West Coast sulacid market was valued at $185-$220/st DEL for contract-year 2022, players said.

Brazil:

Brazil was recently noted in the $270-$275/mt CFR range, steady from the prior report. Values were generally expected to lift higher in the next round of business.

Ammonium Thiosulfate

Amthio, California, Eastern Cornbelt, Market Watch, Pacific N.W., Specialty, Western Cornbelt

Eastern Cornbelt:

The ammonium thiosulfate market in mid-April was quoted at $685-$720/st FOB in the Eastern Cornbelt, up $10-$20/st, with the low reported in Illinois. The Cincinnati price was pegged at the $700-$725/st FOB level at midweek.

Western Cornbelt:

Ammonium thiosulfate pricing was quoted at $685-$725/st FOB in the Western Cornbelt, with the high reported in the Iowa market on a spot basis.

California:

Ammonium thiosulfate pricing in California ranged from $530-$600/st FOB in mid-April, depending on location and supplier.

Pacific Northwest:

The last confirmed prices for ammonium thiosulfate in the Pacific Northwest included $580-$590/st FOB terminals in Washington and Montana, with reports of delivered tons moving into the region at $710-$720/st.

Sulfate of Potash

California, Market Watch, Specialty, Sulfate of Potash, U.S. Exports

U.S. Exports:

SOP exports were up 7.7 percent in July-February, to 41,931 st from the year-ago 38,949 st. Shipments were noted at 1,391 st for February, however, falling 58.3 percent from 3,339 st in February 2021.

California:

The SOP market firmed to $890-$950/st FOB in California, depending on location and supplier, with the high end of the range reflecting a $50/st increase from last report.