需求侵蚀抵消美国苯乙烯供应收紧

据ICIS网站5月15日休斯顿报道 美国苯乙烯供应本周略有收紧，因生产商INEOS Styrolution自3月开始定期维护以来，一直在德克萨斯州的德克萨斯市关闭工厂。该工厂原计划4月份重新开工，但由于目前市场形势不利，可能会推迟。AmSty在路易斯安那州圣詹姆斯的95.3万吨/年工厂重新启动了第二套装置。

建筑业、汽车业和家电业放缓导致的苯乙烯需求减少，超过了潜在的供应短缺。包装应用的需求在4月份有所上升，5月份下降了30-40%，并已恢复到冠状病毒前的水平。

苯乙烯需求下降的原因之一是，3月中旬美国汽车工人联合会（UAW）一名成员在密歇根州沃伦的一家工厂感染了冠状病毒，导致北美大部分汽车生产停产。美国汽车制造商继续制定恢复运营的计划，而5月18日重启的计划正变得更加坚定。

由于本周达成的交易在前一周的范围内，现货出口价格基本稳定。5月份生产的现货大部分已经售出，市场参与者正在讨论6月份的成交量。本周现货出口价格保持稳定，周线区间和周五收盘区间是根据前一周跌入区间的交易进行评估。

美国5月苯乙烯合约上周被评估为小幅下跌，此前由于大流行缓解措施导致需求减少，上游苯供应量下降。5月份合同价格的小幅下降是在3月和4月出现较大幅度下降之后出现。

苯乙烯是一种用于制造乳胶和聚苯乙烯树脂的化学品，又可用于制造塑料包装、一次性杯子和绝缘材料。

王磊 摘译自 ICIS

原文如下：

Tightening US styrene supply offset by demand erosion

US styrene supply tightened slightly this week as producer INEOS Styrolution kept its Texas City, Texas plant down since starting a scheduled maintenance in March. The plant was scheduled to restart in April, but it could be delayed as current market dynamics are unfavourable. AmSty restarted its second unit at its 953,000 tonne/year plant in Saint James, Louisiana.

Styrene demand erosion resulting from slowdowns in construction, automotive and appliance sectors outweighs potential supply shortages. Demand for packaging applications, which was observed higher in April, fell by 30-40% in May and has normalised to pre-coronavirus levels.

One of the reasons styrene demand has fallen is that most North American auto production was halted in mid-March, after a United Auto Workers (UAW) union member contracted the coronavirus at a plant in Warren, Michigan. US automakers continue working on plans to resume operations, and 18 May restart is firming.

Spot export prices were largely steady as deals concluded this week were within the previous week’s range. Most spot material from May production has been sold, and market participants are discussing June volumes. Spot export prices remained steady this week. The weekly range and Friday’s closing range were assessed on the deals that fell within range set in the previous week.

US May styrene contracts, which were assessed last week at a small decrease after facing downward pressure from lower upstream benzene amid demand erosion caused by pandemic mitigation efforts. The smaller decrease in contract prices for May follows larger decreases observed in March and April.

Styrene is a chemical used to make latex and polystyrene resins, which in turn are used to make plastic packaging, disposable cups and insulation.