Spot ethylene prices on a CFR Northeast Asia basis have continued to follow a steady to firmer trend over the past few weeks even as weaker energy costs and lackluster demand pulled down PE prices. Players attribute the persistent strength of the spot ethylene market to limited spot availability stemming from a number of planned and unplanned shutdowns. In production news, Shell declared a force majeure from its 960,000 tons/year cracker in Singapore earlier this month, with players commenting that this force majeure may remain in place for three to six months. In addition, Thailand’s PTT Global is planning to shut a 1 million tons/year cracker for a 40 to 45 day maintenance in late January while Taiwan’s CPC shut a 380,000 tons/year cracker in mid-December. CPC’s cracker is slated to restart in February.