Petronas is entrusted with exclusive ownership over Malaysia’s oil and gas resources by virtue of the Petroleum Development Act 1974 . The upstream activities are carried out through either PSCs or RSCs with other upstream companies. In the midstream segment, Petronas dominates the pipeline transmission, but competes against other shipping operators in the tanker business. As for downstream, Petronas is a major player in petrochemicals, but is a less formidable competitor in the consumer fuel business.

Oil and gas together account for 35.61% of the total energy consumption in India. The country is the world’s third-largest consumer of petroleum products after the US and China. India boasts substantial underdeveloped oil and gas reserves which is propitious, as the crude oil and natural gas have been in the ascendant, in an effort to replace coal as the predominant source for power generation in the country. The government has therefore been focusing on widespread regulatory and pricing reforms in this sector to unlock stranded resources, encourage investments and reduce bureaucratic inefficiencies.

Bunker fuel is the term given to any fuel oil used in marine vessels. It is poured into the ship bunkers to power its engines. The global bunker fuel market is segmented into type, commercial distributors, end user, and region. Based on type, the market is classified into marine gas oil (MGO) and residual fuel oil (RFO). Based on the commercial distributors, it is divided into oil majors, large independent, and small independent. Based on end user, it is categorized into container, bulk carrier, oil tanker, general cargo, chemical tanker, fishing vessels, and gas tanker. Based on region, the market is analyzed across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA. The report also covers the strategies adopted by the key players in the market to sustain the competitive environment and to increase their market share. Sinopec group, Exxon Mobil, Royal Dutch Shell, BP PLC, and Total SA are some of the major players discussed in this report, which cater to the global bunker fuel market.

The petrochemicals sector is dominated by state-owned Pemex's petrochemical subsidiary, Pemex Petroquimica (PPQ). Indelpro, a joint venture (JV) between Mexico-based Alfa Group and Basell Lyondell, has a petrochemical complex at Altamira with 260,000 tonnes per annum (tpa) of propylene capacity feeding 590,000tpa of polypropylene (PP), representing the country's entire PP production capacity. In 2016, Braskem Idesa's Ethylene XXI added 1.05mn tpa ethylene capacity, 750,000tpa highdensity polyethylene (HDPE) capacity and 300,000tpa low-density polyethylene (LDPE) capacity. No further expansions are expected in Latin America in the next five years, as proposals for new facilities in Brazil, Venezuela and Colombia have fallen through. Three Mexican private firms produce polyvinyl chloride (PVC): Primex, which operates a 350,000tpa plant at Altamira and 45,000tpa facility at Tlalnepantla; Mexichem, with a 42,000tpa plant at Tlaxcala and a 30,000tpa plant at Texmelucan; and Policyd, which operates a 200,000tpa plant at Altamira and a 45,000tpa plant at Tlalnepantla. Polystyrene (PS) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) capacities are owned by private companies, while Pemex subsidiaries control all of Mexico's polyethylene (PE) and aromatics capacities.

The Peruvian petrochemical industry is characterised by small companies with narrow portfolios and foreign investors with niche positions. There have been several newer projects proposed, some of which would turn Peru into a petrochemicals exporter by utilising the country's significant ethane reserves to produce olefins and polymer resins as well as fertilisers. However, proposed projects have failed to advance due to a lack of progress on securing gas feedstock and the pipelines needed to deliver it. Yet, the country could easily host a world-scale cracker due to its strong advantage in low-cost feedstock. Peru has comparatively limited refining capacity; the country has six refineries with total capacity of 198,950 barrels per day (b/d). Repsol-operated La Pampilla is the country's largest refinery, with nameplate capacity of 102,000b/d; the other five facilities - Talara, Couchan, Iquitos, El Milagro and Pucallpa - are run by state-owned Petroperú.

Singapore has distinguished itself as one of the leading oil refining and petrochemicals players in Asia. Despite lacking indigenous hydrocarbons resources, it boasts thriving upstream as well as downstream sectors. Petrochemicals and refining remain the lifeblood of Singapore, with strong regional demand growth meaning there is potential for capacity expansion - although investment in countries such as China and Vietnam has led to increasingly fierce competition. With dedicated government backing, the chemicals industry as a whole has proved to be one of the largest contributors to the country's manufacturing output. A strong base in refining, availability of world-class infrastructure, cost-effective logistics and a location at the crossroads of Asia, with ready market access to the Asia-Pacific region, the US, the Middle East and Africa, set the pace for the development of a world-class petrochemicals industry. Major players include US-based ExxonMobil, Netherlandsheadquartered Royal Dutch Shell, Japanese Mitsui, Sumitomo Chemical Singapore (a wholly owned subsidiary of Japan's Sumitomo Chemical Company) and Eastman Chemical Singapore.

Taiwan's petrochemicals industry has had a significant impact on the country's economic development. The nation, however, faces strong competition from regional producers that have the advantages of larger domestic markets and relatively lower labour costs. Taiwan is currently in the process of increasing its petrochemicals capacity to meet the revived domestic consumption and take advantage of export opportunities. Taiwan caters to both the domestic and the world markets, especially mainland China. It is able to fulfil the polymer demand needs of the mainland, as there is a supply surplus in Taiwan of the five major commodity polymers - polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polystyrene (PS) and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS). The estimated 25% surplus of PE production - 1.08mn tonnes per annum (tpa) - has found a market in China. However, Taiwan's PE exports are facing strong competition from the Middle East, which is also targeting the Chinese market. With domestic PP demand at around two-thirds of nameplate capacity, mainland China is a prime export target. Around half of Taiwan's PVC production is also exported, while a substantial percentage of PS capacity (about 80%) enters the export markets.

The government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam controls both the upstream and downstream sectors, through the national oil company PetroVietnam (PVN). PVN is a major contributor to government revenue; it was on course to contribute a total of USD4.68bn to the state's revenue target of USD23.11bn in 2017, equivalent to 20.5%. Vietnam has a poorly developed petrochemicals industry despite significant oil and gas reserves and a respectably sized refining sector relative to the country's market size. The country has massive growth potential, but it will take many years for the industry to catch up. Binh Son Refinery (BSR) is the sole polyproyplene (PP) producer in Vietnam with a 150,000 tonnes per annum (tpa) plant located in Dung Quat industrial park in Quang Ngai province. The company is a subsidiary of state-owned oil firm PetroVietnam. However, it fulfils just 20% of the market, although the country has potentially huge domestic sources of feedstock.

Historically, the development of the domestic industrial chemical and petrochemical industry has been characterised by protectionism. Nevertheless, it is still one of the strongest economic sectors in Colombia. The chemicals and petrochemicals market is competitive and highly price-sensitive as a result of the opening up of the Colombian economy. However, customer and after-sales support are important factors in determining local buyers' purchasing decisions. Compared to other countries, US industrial chemicals are preferred for their higher quality levels.

The loan agreement between the European Investment Bank (EIB) and ICGB AD company, implementing the Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) project, is planned to be signed by the end of January. Albania approved a decision on the temporary use of property for the project of protecting the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), which envisages the transportation of Azerbaijani gas to Europe. Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), which envisages the transportation of Azerbaijani gas to Europe, will be put into operation by 2020. BP may discover a new giant offshore field in Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijani state oil company SOCAR will start detailed technical and economic research to participate in the Bulgarian gas distribution market.