German chemical manufacturer Lanxess is raising its prices for sulphur-based products from its Industrial Intermediates business unit by an average of 40pc.
The increase will take immediate effect and affect products such as ultra pure sulphuric acid, alongside other inorganic acids supplied to semi-conductor, lithium batteries and agrochemicals, among other applications.
The company cites geopolitical tensions for the higher prices, alongside higher costs for logistics and energy.
Sydney, 31 March (Argus) — Australia's federal government has announced a new body to manage the impacts of the US-Iran war on fertilizer imports, while easing costs on agricultural exporters by delaying the imposition of a new charge. The fertilizer supply working group will combine key government agencies and industry organisations Fertilizer Australia and the National Farmers Federation (NFF), agriculture minister Julie Collins said today. The group will work on securing access for Australia's sizeable agriculture sector, which sources about two-thirds of its urea from the Middle East , where the strait of Hormuz is effectively closed due to missile and drone strikes on shipping. Additional tasks for the group include working with the competition regulator to co-ordinate and monitor supply and finding alternative sources where possible. The announcement comes a day after Canberra moved to pass laws allowing government agency Export Finance Australia (EFA) powers to underwrite additional cargoes of critical imports , including fuel and fertilizer, because rising risk premiums are challenging independent importers. Cost recovery charge deferred A full-cost recovery model for regulatory services, to be implemented for agricultural exporters, due to be brought in from 1 July will now be deferred by a year to ease costs on the sector, Collins said. The NFF welcomed the measures and said it would lobby for fair long-term cost recovery settings that would not undermine Australia's agricultural competitiveness. Sufficient urea exists in Australia, a major grain exporter, to cover the upcoming winter crop's pre-seeding application, but more imports are needed for topdressing applications starting in June, market sources said. Argus last assessed granular urea at A$1,350-1,420/t ($924-972/t) fca Geelong on 26 March, a A$90 increase on a week earlier. By Tom Major Global urea prices ($/t) Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Sydney, 30 March (Argus) — The Australian government will amend the Export Finance and Insurance Corporation Act to give government agency Export Finance Australia (EFA) new authority to underwrite additional cargoes of critical imports, including fuel and fertilizer, because rising risk premiums are challenging independent importers. The amendments would allow EFA to help firms hedge risk so they can "buy these cargoes and get them on the way to Australia as soon as possible," energy minister Chris Bowen said. The risk premium for discretionary spot purchases is increasing and "work to scope deals and secure additional fuel is already underway", he said. Under the changes, EFA will be able to issue insurance or indemnity contracts, provide guarantees, extend loans and undertake other arrangements necessary to secure supply from international markets. The government will only intervene to support discretionary volumes considered important for national fuel security, and where private importers cannot procure them on commercial terms. The measures are aimed at assisting independent importers that supply regional areas, some of whom have struggled to obtain extra fuel volumes because their usual suppliers have prioritised meeting the needs of contracted customers. The supply shortfall has left several regional service stations without fuel in recent weeks. The powers will "give suppliers confidence to secure additional and discretionary cargoes […] to service uncontracted demand, including regional and independent fuel suppliers", prime minister Anthony Albanese said on 28 March. The support is intended to help firms operating in the spot market and will not replace or subsidise fuel that importers are already contracted to supply, Bowen said. Eligibility criteria will be structured to ensure additional supply can be delivered quickly by operators with the capability and networks to distribute fuel into constrained regions. New Strategic Reserve powers The federal government has also released details of broader powers under the Export Finance and Insurance Corporation Amendment (Strategic Reserve) Bill, which will create a strategic reserve for essential materials vulnerable to supply chain disruptions, including fuel, critical minerals and fertilizers. The bill expands EFA's remit on the National Interest Account, giving the agency a wider commercial toolkit beyond existing debt and equity options. The legislation will allow EFA to secure supply, sell and selectively stockpile fuel, critical minerals and other strategic commodities, Bowen said. It also gives EFA authority to construct financial arrangements such as fixed or floating offtake agreements, forward contract trading, intermediary demand and supply aggregation, physical stockpiling and contracts for difference. It also legislates the government's commitment to establish a A$1.2bn ($823mn) Critical Minerals Strategic Reserve. The government today announced it will cut the fuel excise a tax paid on each litre of diesel and gasoline sold in the country to ease cost of living pressures for a 90-day period. The excise will drop from 52.6A¢/litre to 26.3A¢/litre for a three-month period, Albanese said following a meeting of national cabinet. Canberra will also scrap the heavy vehicle road user charge for the next three months to reduce inflation for road freight. The tax is levied at 32.4A¢/litre and aims to recover costs for building and maintaining public roads, which carry most of Australia's freighted consumer goods. Delivered gasoil prices to the east coast of Australia have surged since the start of the US-Iran war, surpassing highs achieved during the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 ( see graph ). Victoria will offer free public transport until the end of April to ease pressure on fuel demand, while Tasmania will provide free travel on buses and Derwent River ferries until 1 July. Other state governments have ruled out similar policies. By Tom Woodlock Australia delivered diesel prices (A$/litre) Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Houston, 27 March (Argus) — US diesel engines will no longer be required to have urea quality sensors (UQS) and will revert to using nitrous oxide (NOx) sensors, according to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidance issued on Thursday. That could lead to less diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) — a mixture of urea and de-ionized water, consumption in both road and non-road diesel engines — as the EPA implies a certain level of allowable dilution of urea concentration in DEF supply in special catalyst reduction (SCR) systems. An SCR system uses DEF to neutralize NOx emissions in diesel engines. The standard concentration of urea in DEF is 32.5pc, but the concentration can be diluted further by using lower-quality DEF and leading to small increases in NOx emissions. The agency's previous guidance to reduce inducement penalties, or engine power reductions because of SCR system faults, on users may also cut demand as users will no longer be required to carry an extra case of DEF to avoid engine derating in case of low DEF supply. UQS can detect DEF dilution and quality, but require certain parameters to operate correctly. The EPA determined, via data from the Truck and Engine Manufacturers Association, that UQS have some of the highest failure rates of equipment across SCR systems. As a result, the EPA on Thursday suggested that original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) return to the NOx sensors that were the main sensors present on SCR systems prior to model year 2016 road engines and model year 2017 non-road equipment. The EPA says the fix can be done via a software update through some OEMs. The EPA, in an effort to reduce impact from DEF inducements because of faulty UQS, is encouraging OEMs to seek alternative monitoring technologies to improve robustness of SCR systems. In guidance issued in February, the EPA also affirmed that approved NOx sensor software updates can be installed on existing engines by owner/operators without being treated as tampering under the Clean Air Act. By Chris Mullins Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
London, 27 March (Argus) — Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said today that its navy has turned back three container ships attempting to pass through the strait of Hormuz. The IRGC said the ships of "different nationalities" tried to move into a designated corridor for licensed traffic, but were warned off and forced to withdraw. It said the strait is "closed" and that any movement in the waterway will face "severe action". The IRGC also declared that the movement of any ship sailing to or from ports of countries allied with what it calls its "Zionist-American enemies" — to any destination and from any corridor — is prohibited. The statement follows Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araqchi's comments on state TV on 25 March , when he said the strait remains open except to Iran's "enemies". Araqchi said Iran has allowed passage for vessels from "friendly countries, including China, Russia, India, Iraq and Pakistan". By James Keates Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
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