Phosphate operations unaffected by drone strike: ICL

Market: Fertilizers
25/03/26

Israeli fertilizer producer and exporter ICL has reported no damage to its phosphate mining and production operations following an Iranian drone strike on the Rotem Industrial Zone near the port of Ashdod.

The rocket fell on an area of open ground near ICL's plant, the producer said.

ICL exports 20pc SSP and TSP. Global prices for both have risen because of tight supply and higher raw material prices, driven by the war in the Middle East.

China's TSP and SSP export halt is likely to further support demand for Israeli exports.

By Adrien Seewald

Related news posts

Argus illuminates the markets by putting a lens on the areas that matter most to you. The market news and commentary we publish reveals vital insights that enable you to make stronger, well-informed decisions. Explore a selection of news stories related to this one.

News

25/03/26

High prices to curb southern LatAm phosphate imports

London, 25 March (Argus) — The war in the Middle East has caused phosphate prices to Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay to rise sharply this year. Imports have been matching previous years but will probably slow as affordability concerns take hold. Argentinian DAP/MAP prices reached $825/t cfr at the midpoint on 19 March, the highest since August 2022. The latest weekly assessment for Moroccan MAP would net forward to between the mid-$860s/t cfr and mid-$900s/t cfr. And the sale of a 40,000t cargo of Russian MAP for shipment to the Southern Cone in April-May last week would net forward to as high as the $910s/t cfr Argentina . In the US, some DAP barge sales have probably been for re-export to the Southern Cone. The latest weekly DAP barge price assessment at $640-690/st fob Nola would probably equate to between the $740s/t cfr and $800s/t cfr Argentina, while the latest assessment for DAP was at $800/t cfr Argentina. MAP supply at Nola is tighter, keeping re-exports focused on DAP. Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay imported an average of 599,000t of DAP/MAP/TSP in January-May during 2021-25, according to GTT data. Suppliers have this year sold up to 488,000t of DAP/MAP/TSP on the spot market for shipment to Latin America excluding Brazil, Argus data show. Argus understands that most of this will go to Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay and is due to arrive before the end of May. This includes 95,000-100,000t of Saudi DAP/MAP, of which 55,000t is due to load at Yanbu on the Red Sea. The shipment for the remaining tonnes is not yet clear while the strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed. Imports will probably catch up with previous years. At least five importers are understood to remain in the market to buy an estimated 25,000-30,000t of DAP/MAP/TSP for loading in April-May. But grain prices in the region are not rising to match fertilizers. Importers are reluctant to accept higher levels for phosphates, while poor affordability is making farmers consider skipping applications. Last week's higher MAP levels translate to over $1,000-1,020/t delivered to Argentinian farmers against $875-900/t delivered the week before. And cheaper TSP is unlikely to replace DAP/MAP because its lack of nitrogen makes it less attractive to corn farmers. Some farmers have begun carrying out soil studies and hope to reduce phosphate applications. While yields for the last corn crop were high, the nutrient quality was low. A poor quality outlook for the next corn crop will probably discourage farmers' phosphate purchases. Farmers will probably delay remaining purchases, hoping for a drop in costs or a rise in crop prices. This will prompt importers to remain cautious. By Adrien Seewald Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Find out more

News

Turkey's Tupras awards its domestic sulphur sell tender

24/03/26

News

24/03/26

Turkey's Tupras awards its domestic sulphur sell tender

London, 24 March (Argus) — Turkish refiner Tupras awarded part of its e-tender for April loading on Tuesday to sell small lots ranging from $662-672/t fca, up by $155.50/t from the most recent tender on 20-23 February at $487-536/t fca. Tupras made awards from its refineries as follows: From Izmit — 8,850t of sulphur in bulk, liquid or in big bags in lots ranging from 50-950t were awarded at $662-664/t fca. From Kirikkale — 1,000t of sulphur in lots ranging from 50-400t were awarded at $670-672/t fca, up by $183.50/t from $487-488/t fca previously. The Izmir tender of 3,500t of sulphur in various lots is yet to be concluded. By Fenella Rhodes Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

News

Sungrow, CRRC to provide tech for Kenya green NH3 plant

24/03/26

News

24/03/26

Sungrow, CRRC to provide tech for Kenya green NH3 plant

London, 24 March (Argus) — Chinese electrolyser manufacturers Sungrow Hydrogen and CRRC Zhuzhou have secured electrolyser supply contracts for the first phase of a geothermal-powered hydrogen and ammonia project in Olkaria, Kenya, developed by Chinese firm Kaishan Group. Kaishan signed a steam supply agreement with state utility KenGen in October 2025, under which KenGen will supply steam from existing geothermal wells for Kaishan to generate 165MW of electricity to power the electrolysers. Chinese firm Wuhuan Engineering is serving as engineering, procurement and construction contractor. Works on the site began in November 2025. Sungrow will supply 16 alkaline electrolysers rated at 1,000 Nm³/h each, while CRRC will provide eight units of the same rating, giving phase 1 a combined capacity of 24,000 Nm³/h, or around 120MW. This is sufficient to produce roughly 19,000 t/yr of hydrogen assuming continuous operation, which will be converted to the 100,000 t/yr of ammonia planned for phase 1. Kaishan plans to scale to 200,000 t/yr of ammonia at full build-out, with output processed into 480,000 t/yr of green fertilisers comprising 180,000 t/yr of urea and 300,000 t/yr of calcium ammonium nitrate. Kenya's government will offtake the fertiliser for distribution to local farmers to reduce import dependence. Total investment stands at around $800mn, with annual revenues projected at $220mn-250mn over a 25-year operating life, Kaishan said previously. Geothermal power offers a significant advantage for electrolytic hydrogen production, with capacity factors of around 90pc enabling near-continuous baseload operation without the intermittency or energy storage costs associated with solar and wind. Kenya's energy department estimates the country holds 10GW of geothermal potential, with only around 950MW of installed capacity to date. Chinese electrolyser makers have been increasing their equipment exports in recent months, supplying to projects in Europe, Middle East and Asia-Pacific. Sungrow delivered 160MW of alkaline electrolysers to Acme's green ammonia project in Oman , a 3MW containerised PEM system for Italy's MW-scale solar-to-hydrogen project , and a containerised alkaline system to a green hydrogen blending project in Brazil. By Chingis Idrissov Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

News

Egypt’s urea availability, production solid

24/03/26

News

24/03/26

Egypt’s urea availability, production solid

London, 24 March (Argus) — Egyptian urea sales are still taking place for cargoes loading next month, while production rates remain unchanged as LNG deliveries continue. Egyptian urea production continues to run at full rates, despite tighter gas availability, producers told Argus . Israel's suspension of gas exports following the outbreak of war with Iran has removed the equivalent of about one LNG cargo every four days from Egypt's supply balance. Egypt secured three LNG cargoes for mid-March delivery earlier this month, before implementing broader energy-saving measures . The government appears focused on curbing domestic demand, rather than paying elevated spot prices, as it looks to preserve foreign currency reserves, contain inflation and maintain supply stability. Although urea plants have remained unaffected by the measures so far, producers acknowledge that the industry is not fully insulated from wider gas management policies, raising the risk that output could come under pressure if supply constraints persist. Sales ongoing Producers continue to conclude sales for urea loading in April, even as the end of March approaches, pointing to adequate availability. No producer deals for urea loading in May have emerged so far. Egyptian producers have reported selling about 260,000t of granular urea for January-April loading so far this year, against potential export availability of 1.4mn–1.6mn t over the same period. In addition to the reported sales, Argus estimates that a further 200,000–250,000t — or potentially more — of March-loading Egyptian urea has already been placed into India and the US. These volumes will help to narrow — but not eliminate — the sizeable gap between reported and potential exports, and may point to comparatively high producer inventories or quantities sent to the domestic market. Producers' sales reported this year include about 36,000t for January loading, 80,000t for February, around 84,000t for March and about 60,000t for April to date. Domestic–export sales split Egypt has 7.2mn–7.3mn t/yr of urea capacity and allocates a sizeable part of its output to the domestic market, leaving around 350,000–400,000 t/month for export. The country exported an average of about 4.5mn t/yr of urea in 2023–25. The domestic season typically peaks in June-September. Output fluctuates on both a monthly and annual basis, reflecting planned turnarounds, variations in gas availability — particularly during the summer peak power period — and intermittent disruptions to gas flows from Israel in recent years. By Dana Hjeij Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

News

Pupuk Indonesia issues DAP buy tender

24/03/26

News

24/03/26

Pupuk Indonesia issues DAP buy tender

Singapore, 24 March (Argus) — State-owned fertilizer company Pupuk Indonesia has issued a tender to buy a total of 175,000t of light or yellow granular 16-45 and/or 18-46 DAP for shipment over July-December on behalf of four of its subsidiaries. The tender closes on 27 March, with the auction date to be announced at a later date. Offers are to be submitted as a discount to a formula price based on Argus Phosphates ' DAP cfr southeast Asia price assessment. Petrokimia Gresik (PKG) is seeking 70,000t of DAP for delivery to Gresik port, with four shipments of 10,000-20,000t each scheduled from July to November. Pupuk Kalimantan Timur (PKT) is seeking 45,000t of DAP for delivery to Bontang port, with three lots of 15,000t to be shipped from July to November. Pupuk Sriwidjaja Palembang (PSP) is seeking 40,000t of DAP for delivery to Boom Baru port, with eight shipments of 5,000-10,000t each from July to December. Pupuk Kujang (PKC) is seeking 20,000t of DAP for delivery either to Tanjung Priok or Cigading port, to be shipped in two lots of 10,000t each from September to November 2026. Pupuk Indonesia last issued a buy tender for 25,000t of standard light or yellow granular 18-46 DAP on behalf of KJC in November 2025, with offers also submitted as a discount to a formula price. Unstable global DAP supply, surging freight rates and rising raw material costs since the outbreak of war in the Middle East have pushed global DAP prices sharply higher. DAP prices in southeast Asia firmed to $800–850/t cfr on 19 March, up from $730–750/t cfr on 26 February before the conflict. Offers submitted for this tender are also expected to remain elevated. By Hui Xuan Lek Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Business intelligence reports

Get concise, trustworthy and unbiased analysis of the latest trends and developments in oil and energy markets. These reports are specially created for decision makers who don’t have time to track markets day-by-day, minute-by-minute.

Learn more