Offers of ethylene export volumes from Mexico have drawn a lackluster response in Northwest Europe, which remains a low demand environment, according to sources.
A second cargo from Mexico this month, involving around 4,000 mt, was heard offered in Europe for December arrival.
The previous cargo offered into NWE, in mid-November for end-November/early-December arrival eventually went to Midia in Romania, sources said.
One buyer said he was looking to bid $1,250/mt CIF for the Mediterranean.
The CIF Med price was assessed at $1,250-1,255/mt CIF Friday, down $20/mt on the week.
Some domestic activity was still seen even though cracker operators said it was difficult to place spot volumes amid weak demand. According to Gibsons shipping report, Versalis fixed two cargoes to Stenungsund in Sweden and Lavera in France, loading November 16-18 and November 22-26 respectively, from Dunkirk in France.
"The original disport for the second voyage [Lavera] was quoted as Ras Lanuf but as the ship will not now go there we would surmise that the plant there is not yet ready to be gassed up," the report said.
Sources said that the restart 330,000 mt/year cracker in Ras Lanuf which has been offline since the Libyan civil war in 2011 had been postponed to early 2013.
Libya's Ras Lanuf Oil and Gas Processing Company was previously aiming for a restart in November for the cracker, sources said. The company was not immediately available to confirm.
