All posts by mickeybarb@charter.net

Sulfuric Acid

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

U.S. Gulf:

Price ideas for Gulf spot vessel imports continued in the $250-$255/mt CFR range, sources indicated.

Gulf Coast:

Delivered Gulf Coast pricing was quoted in the $195-$230/st DEL range for 2022 annual contracts.

Midwest:

Annual Midwest contract values were clocked even with the Gulf Coast at $195-$230/st DEL.

West Coast:

Sources quoted the West Coast sulfuric acid market at $185-$220/st DEL for 2022 agreements.

Brazil:

Brazil price ideas were heard at $270-$275/mt CFR, unchanged from the prior report.

Ammonium Thiosulfate

Amthio, Eastern Cornbelt, Market Watch, South Central, Southern Plains, Specialty, Western Cornbelt

Eastern Cornbelt:

The ammonium thiosulfate market had reportedly strengthened to $600-$630/st FOB in the Eastern Cornbelt, up from the last reported $585-$610/st FOB, with the low confirmed at Seneca, Ill., and the upper end at Cincinnati. Rail-DEL pricing was pegged at $635-$650/st in the region.

Western Cornbelt:

The last confirmed ammonium thiosulfate business was unchanged at the $600/st FOB level in the Iowa market.

Southern Plains:

The ammonium thiosulfate market was quoted at a solid $500/st FOB Houston, unchanged from last report.

South Central:

The ammonium thiosulfate market was unchanged at $535-$540/st FOB Memphis.

Crops/Weather

Crops/Weather, Eastern Cornbelt, Market Watch, South Central, Southeast, Southern Plains, Western Cornbelt

Eastern Cornbelt:

Winter Storm Landon dumped rain, snow, and ice on much of the Eastern Cornbelt during the week, causing widespread power outages and road closures.

The powerful storm blanketed the Chicago area with 9-10 inches of snow by Feb. 3, with a foot of accumulation reported in Peoria, Bloomington, and Pekin, and up to 11 inches in Springfield, Ill. Snowfall totals in Indiana ranged from 6-10 inches across a wide swath of the state.

In southern Ohio, ice ranging from a half to three-quarters of an inch blanketed many location on Feb. 2-3, while central and northern areas of the state were hit with 5-10 inches of snow.

Western Cornbelt:

Cold weather advisories were once again posted for portions of western Iowa and Nebraska at midweek, with single-digit lows and subzero wind chills common across the area. Wind chills on Feb. 3 were expected to drop to -15 in central Iowa and -20 degrees or lower in northern Iowa.

Parts of Missouri were hit with heavy snow from Winter Storm Landon at midweek, prompting Gov. Mike Parson to issue a state of emergency. Snowfall totals included nearly a foot in Columbia and Harvester, Mo., eight inches in Ferguson, and 4-5 inches in Kansas City. Bitterly cold temperatures moved in after the snow, with wind chills in the Kansas City area plunging to -15 on Feb. 3.

Southern Plains:

A powerful winter storm impacted nearly all of the Southern Plains during the week, producing heavy snow and ice and ushering in frigid temperatures.

Snowfall totals ranging from 6-12 inches were reported across eastern Kansas by Feb. 3, with temperatures expected to drop to the single digits on Feb. 4, along with wind chills down to -15 degrees in some locations. Similar snow levels were reported in the Colorado foothills, with lows falling to the single digits on Feb. 3 for most of northern Colorado.

Snowfall totals across Oklahoma at midweek ranged from 2.2 inches in Enid to seven inches in Oklahoma City. Areas of central Texas were hit with 3-4 inches of rain early in the week, followed by ice storms across central and northern Texas late in the week, while parts of northern New Mexico braced for significant snow and wind chills down to -30 in some locations.

Texas sources reported some urea movement on winter pasture before the rain and ice. Corn planting in the Texas Blackland Prairies normally begins in mid-February, sources said, but the winter weather conditions are likely to push that back this year. “Late February/early March would be the next normal run on winter pasture topdress, and then summer forages kick off soon after that,” said one Texas contact.

South Central:

Heavy rain, potential flash flooding, freezing rain, and ice were reported across Middle Tennessee on Feb. 3 as a strong cold front plowed through the region. Forecasts warned of 1-3 inches of rainfall, with up to five inches possible in some locations and ice accumulation expected in northwestern areas of the state.

Widespread power outages were reported across Tennessee late in the week, with reports of ice accumulation cutting powering to more than 134,000, mostly in the Memphis area.

A wide swath of Kentucky was also in the storm’s path, with reports of ice accumulation ranging from a quarter to a half-inch in some areas of the state. The storm also battered northwestern Arkansas with a blanket of snow, including five inches in Fayetteville, six inches in Bentonville, and more than seven inches in Beaver.

Louisiana and Mississippi also experienced a chilly blast of winter weather late in the week, prompting a tornado watch in parts of Mississippi on Feb. 3. Rainfall totals of 1-3 inches were expected across southeastern Louisiana, along with a 30-degree drop in temperatures on Feb. 3-4.

Southeast:

Another powerful winter storm brought more than a foot of snow to parts of western Pennsylvania, upstate New York, and parts of New England during the week, along with thick ice accumulation in the Delmarva area.

The prior week’s powerful nor’easter hammered much of Virginia and North Carolina with 30-35 mph winds, along with wind chills in the single digits and teens in some locations. The arctic blast also hit Georgia during the last days of January, with wind chills dropping to subzero lows in some areas of northwestern Georgia on Jan. 28-29.

Rain was fairly widespread across Alabama at midweek, with temperatures reported in the 50s and 60s. The wet, unsettled pattern was expected to persist through the rest of the work week. In central and southern Florida, by contrast, temperatures in the 80s were common at midweek, although cooler weather was on tap for the coming weekend.

“We are starting to get very busy, which is normal for the end of January in Florida,” said one fertilizer industry contact.

Transportation

Illinois River, Market Watch, Mississippi RIver, Ohio River, Transportation, U.S. Gulf

U.S. Gulf:

Travel restrictions persisted through Bayou Boeuf Lock, restricting weekday navigation to between the hours of 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. Twenty-four hour access resumed on Saturdays and Sundays.

Floodgate construction underway at Bayou Chene limited travel to daylight hours only, according to a Coast Guard posting. Bayou Chene was accessible daily between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. to tows under 600 feet in length, while tows with widths above 54 feet were required to use an assist vessel. Delay were projected in a general 6-12 hour range.

Shoaling at Miles 113-116 on the Atchafalaya River, located in the Morgan City area, prompted draft restrictions through the area, according to a Coast Guard posting. Drafts were capped at 10 feet, with tow lengths limited to 600 feet of length and 70 feet of width. Tows longer than 400 feet were strongly encourage to travel with an assist vessel.

Size restrictions at Algiers Lock remained in place, with limits on both vessel lengths and widths effectively reducing unassisted lockages to four standard barges, or two 30,000 mt tankers per pass. Larger tows were permitted through the lock when traveling with an assist vessel.

Construction in progress through the end of the year at the Belle Chasse Bridge was noted triggering intermittent delays up to 12 hours at a time. The structure is located at Mile 3 in the West Canal, near Algiers Lock.

Port Allen Lock delays were quoted up to 18 hours for the week. Most wait times at Bayou Sorrel Lock were indicated in the 6-11 hour range, while Industrial Lock passage required up to nine hours. Intermittent Algiers Lock delays were logged up to 25 hours.

Mississippi River:

Persistent low water levels at St. Louis were noted extending draft restrictions on the lower Mississippi River. Tows moving in the downriver direction were noted operating at a maximum 10 feet of draft, while northbound tows were capped at 9.5 feet. The river gauge at St. Louis was reported at (-)0.33 feet on Feb. 2, with levels forecast to rise slightly above of the 0.0-foot mark on Feb. 15.

Work to reinforce the channel at Mile 642 on the lower river was slated to run into late February. Southbound movements were expected to see delays up to 12 hours while the project is underway.

On the upper river, sources reported a main chamber outage at Mel Price Lock during the week, with dive operations underway. Navigation remained available via the auxiliary chamber, with delays noted up to five hours.

Travel was unavailable through Locks 1-20 during the week due to ongoing seasonal shutdowns. Delays were reported up to 12 hours through Lock 21. Corps data showed no lockages recorded through Locks 22 or 24 during the week.

The Corps was noted pushing back the upper river’s March reopening. Previously set to begin spring navigation over the March 3-21 period, most locks are now tentatively set to resume lockages on March 22, conditions permitting.

Illinois River:

Ice formations continued to impact navigation on the Illinois Waterway, slowing average transit speeds and reducing maximum barge counts.

Ice couplings were required through all locks on the river. Intermittent Peoria Lock delays were reported in the 4-8 hour range due to icy conditions, while LaGrange Lock waits were recorded up to 27 hours on Feb. 1-2.

Brandon Road Lock repairs and maintenance will impact movements through the site from May 9 through Sept. 8, a Corps posting indicated. Tows will be limited to 70-foot widths, with lockages available during overnight hours only between May 9 and Aug. 14.

The lock will shut completely from Aug. 15 through Sept. 4, followed by a return to overnight-only, width-restricted travel on Sept. 5-8. Movements are currently scheduled to return to normal on Sept. 9.

Ohio River:

The primary chamber at Greenup Lock was reported closed for dive inspections on Feb. 1. Navigation remained available through the secondary chamber.

Starting Jan. 26, Cannelton Lock was reported closed to daytime travel on Wednesday and Thursday for repairs, prompting delays up to 12 hours. The project is slated to run through May 26.

Emsworth Lock primary chamber repairs on the books for Feb. 22 through April 16 will limit navigation to a single barge per pass through the auxiliary chamber. Significant delays are expected.

An underwater obstruction was noted blocking use of the Dashields Lock auxiliary chamber, limiting operating of the chamber’s miter gate. Minimal delays were reported for the week, although a main chamber closure planned for March 7-31 would necessitate use of the auxiliary chamber. Following the main chamber outage, the Dashields secondary chamber will shut for repairs on April 1-22.

The Belleville Lock main chamber is scheduled to close to vessel traffic from May 2 through June 22, forcing detours through the smaller secondary chamber.

A Hannibal Lock main chamber repair shutdown proposed by the Corps would relegate traffic to the secondary chamber from July 5 through Oct. 8.

A shutdown of the Cannelton Lock main chamber has also been proposed for July 5 through Nov. 11. That closure, if approved, was also expected to funnel travel through the site’s smaller secondary chamber.

Montgomery Lock was reported closed to navigation on Feb. 2. Delays were noted up to seven hours prior to the shutdown. Delays at Cannelton tracked in the 4-6 hour range for the week.

The Tennessee River’s Kentucky Lock is fully closed to navigation through Feb. 24, Corps data indicated. Work was noted underway to effect repairs to the site’s upper miter gates. Barkley Lock was suggested as an alternate route while the project is underway, adding approximately 1-2 days of travel time in each direction.

The Wilson Lock main chamber is scheduled to close for maintenance from Feb. 23 through April, necessitating passage through the secondary chamber. A temporary main chamber reopening is planned for March 18-23, during which secondary chamber traffic will be capped at six barges. Delays could stretch to one week or more during the project, sources speculated. Wilson Lock wait times were quoted up to 18 hours for the week.

Bio-acoustic fish fence maintenance that kicked off on Jan. 15 at the Cumberland River’s Barkley Lock concluded on Jan. 30, ending a period of navigational shutdowns running from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily. A proposed Cheatham Lock repair and maintenance project was anticipated to limit navigation from May 16 through Aug. 4.

Acron to Buy Petrobras Nitrogen Project

Ammonia, Brazil, News, News Briefs, Russia, Urea

Acron Group, Moscow, has agreed to buy a still-to-be completed nitrogen fertilizer project in Brazil’s Mato Grosso do Sul state from state-owned Petróleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras), according to Bloomberg, citing a Reuters report, which cited information provided by Agriculture Minister Tereza Cristina. The sale was for Unidade de Fertilizantes Nitrogenados III (UFN-III) in Três Lagoas. The transaction value was not disclosed.

Petrobras has been trying to sell the project for some time – at least since 2017 (GM Sept. 15, 2017). In 2019, it terminated talks to sell the project, as well as the nitrogen fertilizer plant Araucária Nitrogenados SA (ANSA) in Paraná state (GM Nov. 27, 2019), to Acron.

UFN-III has been under construction since 2011, and at last report was 81 percent complete. It is reported to be near main consumer markets and the Gasbol gas pipeline. The plant’s production capacity was targeted to be 3,600 mt/d of urea, 2,200 mt/d of ammonia, and 290 mt/d of carbon dioxide. The ammonia technology is KBR, while urea technology is Stamicarbon.

Kore Potash plc – Management Brief

London, Management Briefs, Potash

Junior miner Kore Potash plc, London, reported last month that Pablo Hernandez Mac-Donald, 34, has been named as a Non-Executive Director of the Board nominated by SQM Inc., Sanitago, replacing Ignacio Majluf, who has resigned from employment with SQM and the Board.

Mac-Donald joined SQM in 2013 as the Vice President, Finance, Commercial Offices, reporting to the SQM’s CFO. He completed Industrial Engineering and M.S. in Engineering degrees from Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile in 2013, and an MBA from Emory University in 2019.