據安迅思新加坡8月4日消息，市場對中東石化產品的需求在夏季呈上升趨勢，同時市場參與者們繼續應對高運費和嚴重集裝箱短缺問題。

　　海灣合作委員會(GCC)的聚乙烯(PE)和聚丙烯(PP)供應商正期待從現在開始以亞洲為主導的需求復蘇。安迅思市場分析師Lorenzo Meazza表示:“在2021年剩余時間內，中東的出口預計將增加。但物流問題仍在持續，這可能會降低應對需求變化的靈活性。”Meazza指出:“即使考慮到全球PE產能將會增加，但由于這些項目分布在不同地區，新增產量在需要的地方(進口國/地區)的有效及時供應仍面臨風險。”集裝箱供應嚴重短缺和高運費持續存在，可能會延續到2021年以后，繼續挑戰GCC加工商，他們在出口成品時繼續承擔高運費成本。沙特阿拉伯和阿拉伯聯合酋長國——GCC最大的兩個市場是主要的聚乙烯和聚丙烯加工中心，除在當地銷售外，加工商們還將聚乙烯成品出口到歐洲和非洲。盡管如此，通常在假日期間外出旅游的GCC地區的大部分人口可能會留在國內，從而刺激對食品、家庭用品和消費品以及包裝的需求。

　　至于聚對苯二甲酸乙二醇酯（PET），阿聯酋的需求前景被認為是持平的，因為阿聯酋人通常會在夏季假期離開阿聯酋去度假。由于地區和亞洲的貨源，GCC地區的貨源充足。從亞洲到中東的運輸條件緊張和高運費阻礙了亞洲對GCC的出口，但與此同時，運輸條件緊張限制了GCC對美洲的出口，為GCC市場留下了充足的供應。

　　關于東地中海地區的聚苯乙烯，由于夏季假期，下游對乳制品包裝和餐盒的需求呈上升趨勢，需求逐漸好轉。

　　張春曉 摘譯自 ICIS

　　原文如下：

　　Mideast petchem demand up amid high freight costs, tight container supply

　　Petrochemical demand in the Middle East is on an uptrend during summer while market players continue to tackle high freight costs and severe container shortages.

　　Polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) suppliers in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) are looking forward to an Asian-led demand recovery from here on out."Exports from Middle East are expected to increase," said ICIS market analyst Lorenzo Meazza.He added that "issues with logistics are persisting and this will likely bring less flexibility to respond to changes in demand"."And even considering that the global PE capacity will increase, thanks to numerous projects in different regions, the effective prompt availability of this new material where needed (importing countries/regions) remains at risk," Meazza pointed out.A severe shortage in container availability and high freight charges persist and may extend beyond 2021, continuing to challenge GCC processors who continue to incur high freight costs in exporting the finished products.Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) – two of GCC’s biggest markets are major PE and PP processing hubs, with converters exporting finished PE products to Europe and Africa in addition to selling locally.Nonetheless, a large majority of the population that usually travels out of the GCC region for the holiday period are likely to stay in, thus boosting demand for food, household and consumer products and packaging.

　　When it comes to polyethylene terephthalate, UAE demand outlook is seen flat as population typically exits UAE for summer holidays.Ample supply in GCC prevails because of regional and Asian cargo sources.The tight shipping conditions and high freight costs from Asia to the Middle East have hindered Asian exports to the GCC, but at the same time the tight shipping conditions have limited GCC exports to the Americas, leaving ample supply for the GCC.Meanwhile, thin margins have led to a number of Chinese producers cutting production.

　　Concerning polystyrene in the East Med region, demand has been getting better gradually thanks to the summer vacation season during which downstream demand for dairy product packaging and meal boxes is on the uptrend.