Houston — The US Department of Homeland Security has identified the US chemical industry and its workers as essential critical infrastructure with a "special responsibility" to maintain work schedules and operations while following US Centers for Disease Control workforce and customer protection guidelines in response to the growing global coronavirus pandemic
休斯顿——美国国土安全部已经把美国化工产业及其工人确定为具有“特殊责任”的重要基础设施，以维持工业安排的进展和运作。同时遵循美国疾病控制中心的劳动力和客户保护准则，以应对全球冠状病毒病例日益增长的趋势。
The identification ensures the sector can continue producing chemicals needed for disinfectants, plastics for food preservation, medical equipment and staples like diapers and soap.
这一确立保证了该行业能够继续生产消毒剂、食品保鲜塑料、医疗设备以及尿布和肥皂等主要产品所需的化学品。
The pandemic response has left millions hunkering down in their homes across the globe to try to stem its spread, slashing oil and gas demand just as Russia and Saudi Arabia launched a crude price war with increased output. Both issues have impacted the chemical sector, which relies on crude production for cracker feedstocks and consumer demand for end products.
全球数以百万计的人躲在家里应对疫情，试图阻止病毒蔓延，在俄罗斯和沙特阿拉伯为提高产量而发动原油价格战之际，这大幅削减了人们对于石油和天然气的需求。这两个问题都对化工行业产生了影响，因为化工行业依赖于裂解原料的原油生产和消费者对最终产品的需求。
Here are the latest industry developments:
以下是业界的最新进展:
NEWS新闻- 美国对二甲苯现货价格周一延续跌势，下降了35美元/吨后现价接近525美元/吨。US spot paraxylene prices extended declines Monday, falling $35/mt to close at $525/mt FOB USG, the lowest level since S&P Global Platts began assessing the product in October 2006. Prices began declining in Q2 2019 amid vast capacity builds in Asia, and continued their slide into 2020 amid global supply length and poor producer economics in the US.
- 美国苯乙烯单体价格自周一以来已下跌逾56％，并跌至历史低点375美元/吨。US styrene monomer prices have declined more than 56% since late January and fell to a historic low of $375/mt (17.01 cents/lb) FOB USG for prompt-month loading on Monday, down 18.5% from Friday.
- 陶氏化学周一表示，该公司已开始每月生产300公吨的洗手液，以捐赠给德国的药房和医院。Dow Chemical on Monday said the company has begun producing 300 mt/month of hand sanitizer at its manufacturing site in Stade, Germany, for donation to pharmacies and hospitals in Germany. The company was "rapidly repurposing" an existing US facility to do so as well. The company did not identify which US facility. "More informationabout this effort will be shared soon," Dow said in a statement.
- 亨斯迈周一宣布，该公司计划开始生产加氢酒精溶液，以用于制造洗手液。Huntsman announced Monday that the company will begin making hydro alcoholic solution to produce hand sanitizer in the Swiss Canton of Vaud and the General Hospital of Lausanne, Switzerland, at its manufacturing sites in Monthey, Switzerland.
- 荷兰皇家壳牌公司3月18日宣布暂停其位于宾夕法尼亚州60亿美元的石化厂的建设。Royal Dutch Shell announced on March 18 that the company has temporarily suspended construction at its $6 billion petrochemical complex in Pennsylvania on coronavirus pandemic concerns.
- 周一美国乙烯现货价格稳定在3月20日达到的历史新低。Mont Belvieu乙烯为10美分/磅，Choctaw乙烯为9美分/磅。US spot ethylene prices on Monday held steady at new all-time lows reached on March 20. Mont Belvieu ethylene was unchanged from Friday at 10 cents/lb Mont Belvieu, the lowest level since S&P Global Platts began assessing spot ethylene in July 2004. Choctaw ethylene held at 9 cents/lb FD Choctaw.
- 美国现货乙烯维持正利润率在10美分/磅，但乙烷正达到零利润率。Upstream, non-LST ethane fell 0.25 cent to 9.20 cents/gal on Monday, a 3% decline from Friday. US spot ethylene maintains positive margins at 10 cents/lb, but is reaching zero margin for ethane.
- 埃克森美孚和NOVA化学暂停了3月份实施的聚乙烯价格上涨。ExxonMobil and NOVA Chemicals have suspended March price increases for domestic polyethylene despite higher demand amid the coronavirus pandemic, both companies said in letters to customers dated March 23. ExxonMobil had sought a 4 cents/lb price increase for all PE grades, in addition to 2 cents/lb for low density PE in February. NOVA suspended its 5 cents/lb price increase for all PE grades except LDPE, for which a 2 cents/lb increase remains in place as of March 1. Both companies said production and supply chains remain operational.
- 周一美国聚合物级丙烯现货价格下跌1.25美分，至18.625美分/磅， 即期炼厂级丙烯现货价格连续第四日保持在10美分/磅。US March spot polymer-grade propylene prices fell 1.25 cents to 18.625 cents/lb FD USG on Monday tracing weak crude oil prices. Prompt spot refinery-grade propylene remained flat at 10 cents/lb FD USG for the fourth consecutive session.
- 周一，美国MTBE跌至21年低点，评估价为60.45美分/加仑。US MTBE reached a 21-year low on Monday, falling to an assessed value of 60.45 cents/gal FOB USG.
- 周一美国甲醇价格保持不变，76美分/加仑。US methanol was unchanged Monday at 76 cents/gal FOB USG.
- 周一美国苯价格从上周五的131美分/加仑下跌19.8％至105美分/加仑。US benzene prices fell 19.8% to 105 cents/gal DDP USG on Monday from 131 cents/gal on Friday.
- 3月和4月甲苯的价格分别下跌31美分/加仑和93美分/加仑March and April FOB USG toluene each down 31 cents/gal to 93 cents/gal.
- 3月和4月混合二甲苯价格各下跌了32美分/加仑。March and April FOB USG mixed xylenes each down 32 cents/gal to 32 cents/gal.
- 周一标准石脑油价格下跌至25.220美分/加仑。lLight直馏石脑油的价格下跌至32.75美分/加仑。USGC standard naphtha barges prices fell 33.7% on Monday to 25.220 cents/gal, down from 38.060 cents/gal on March 20. USGC lLight straight-run naphtha prices fell 21.5% on Monday to 32.75 cents/gal from 41.75 cents/gal on Friday.
- 纽约商业交易所4月RBOB汽油收于每加仑41.18美分，较上周五的收盘价下跌19.36美分。April RBOB settled at 41.18 cents/gal on the NYMEX, down 19.36 cents, or 32%, from Friday's close to a fresh all-time low.
US ports, warehouses and trucking companies have been exempted from shelter-in-place orders like those issued last week in California and in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, which is home to the Port of Charleston's Wando Welch terminal. The Port of Savannah has canceled truck gate hours through the middle of April, but weekday operations remain as normal.
美国港口、仓库和卡车运输公司已免于就地庇护令，包括上周在加利福尼亚州和南卡罗来纳州的芒特普莱森特（查尔斯顿港码头所在地）发布的那些。到4月中旬为止，萨凡纳港口已取消了卡车的通行时间，但工作日的工作仍照常进行。
The Port of Houston Authority on March 18 shut down its Bayport and Barbour's Cut container terminals along the Houston Ship Channel after an International Longshoremen's Association worker tested positive for COVID-19. The worker was isolated and hospitalized. Vessel operations resumed at the terminals the evening of March 19, and gate operations resumed the morning of March 20. The biggest chunks of all exports from the port are resin and plastics (34%) and chemicals and minerals (17.8%). Houston is the second-largest petrochemical port in the world behind Rotterdam.
休斯顿港务局于3月18日关闭了休斯顿船舶航道沿岸的Bayport和Barbour's Cut集装箱码头。此前，一名国际滨海人协会的工人检测出了冠状病毒阳性， 该工人被隔离并住院。3月19日晚上码头重新开始船只运营，3月20日早晨重新开始登机闸操作。该港口所有出口产品中最大的一块是树脂和塑料（34％）以及化学物和矿物（17.8％）。休斯顿是仅次于鹿特丹的世界第二大石油化工港口。
