Keyvan Hedvat

Swedish speciality products firm Nynas is looking to ramp up bitumen production to meet any shortfall in European supply arising from planned refinery closures when the 2021 construction season begins in the northern hemisphere spring.

State-controlled Saudi Aramco will begin bitumen cargo exports in June from Yanbu on the Red Sea coast, home to the 400,000 b/d Yasref refinery.

Turkey's Tupras has issued a tender to sell around 1mn t of bitumen on a fob basis from its Izmit and Izmir refineries next year, significantly more than it offered under its equivalent 2023 tender.

South African integrated energy firm Sasol has informed its bitumen customers that it has run out of the heavy oil product ahead of the planned May-June refinery turnaround at its 107,000 b/d Natref refinery, which is held in a joint venture with TotalEnergies.

Swedish specialities producer Nynas has returned to profits last year after sustaining significant financial losses in 2022, when it switched away from Russian crude in a self-sanctioning move against the Ukraine invasion.

The Nigerian government is involving some key concrete producers in a raft of new federal road projects across the country, signalling greater intent to switch away from asphalt.

Bitumen production at TotalEnergies' 240,000 b/d Leuna refinery in northeast Germany will be halted for the duration of a major planned month-long maintenance shutdown at the refinery starting in early October, market participants said today.

Turkish refiner Tupras has agreed 2025 annual tender sales totalling well over 500,000t of bitumen from its Izmit and Izmir refineries to leading international trading and supply firms.