US ethane exports to Mexico reached a record high in October, just months after Braskem inaugurated its new ethane import terminal in Mexico.
The US shipped 40,000 b/d of the petrochemical feedstock to Mexico so far in October, the highest for any month since at least 2016, Kpler data shows.
Most of the October volumes that arrived in the port of Coatzacoalcos, Mexico, were aboard the Brilliant Future and Brave Future, which are both Brazilian petrochemical firm Braskem's dedicated ethane vessels.
The Mexican port is home to Braskem's 80,000 b/d (1.6mn t/yr) ethane import terminal that was inaugurated earlier this year and supplies the company's Mexico-based petrochemical plants.
The terminal is part of Braskem's broader efforts to shift away from naphtha as a feedstock and tackle the long-standing ethane supply shortages in Mexico, which stems from a slowdown in domestic ethane production.
Mexico's state-owned Pemex's output has declined steadily over the past few years owing to mature oil and gas fields, leading Pemex and private-sector firms to become more reliant on imports. Pemex's ethane production fell to an average of 40,000 b/d from January to September, down from 43,000 b/d the same months a year earlier, and well below the 71,000 b/d it produced in 2020, according to the latest Pemex data.
US ethane exports to Mexico could continue to grow as Braskem's trading arm expects delivery of an additional four ethane ships for Braskem's feedstock requirements in 2026.
Braskem is also considering adding another PE unit in Mexico, further boosting ethane demand.
