By mid-June 2021 the Tampa CFR molten sulfur contract stood near $192 per tonne versus about $83 in early January and $54 a year earlier, roughly a threefold year-over-year increase. Vancouver and Arab Gulf FOB benchmarks rose in parallel to levels last seen around early 2014 as phosphate prices hit multi-year highs. The trends piece is at https://www.bcinsight.crugroup.com/2021/07/31/ammonia-and-sulphur-market-trends/.
USGS MCS 2022 recorded Tampa beginning 2021 near about $69 per long ton, then moving higher as supply issues and demand recovery interacted, with third- and fourth-quarter 2021 settling near $183. The $192 mid-June BC Insight print and the $183 USGS late-year print are the same climb in two sources. Licensed weekly grids are not restated. The $192 figure is BC Insight and Argus market-trend language. The $69 and $183 figures are USGS.
Alberta recovered sulfur still leaves mainly through Vancouver. A threefold Tampa increase is a molten-rail netback and a forming-and-FOB netback. Heartland's tank completed 15 days later. Argus's forming-project note is the inland response. The harbour still finished 2.29 million tonnes, down 14 percent. Price in June does not fill a calendar year that started soft. 2022's 22 percent rebound is when it did.
DAP Morocco $584 FOB, up 95 percent, and Brazil MAP $714 CFR, up 125 percent, are the phosphate highs under this $192 sulfur. TFI's later 198 percent March-to-March sulfur cost includes this threefold June print as the first-half step. China 2020 import plunge of about 3 million tonnes and pandemic refining cuts are the supply-issue side USGS named. Phosphate restocking is the demand side.
The 23 September Argus sample would list Tampa near $195 per long ton, Vancouver $184-194 FOB, Middle East $189-191. Mid-June $192 is the start of that $180s-$190s cluster. October's $223-230 Middle East FOB is the next step after 15 October inspections. June is still a recovery print, not yet a China-policy print.
Early-2014 as the last time Vancouver and Arab Gulf FOB were at these levels is BC Insight's historical rhyme. It is not 2022's $478. Mid-2021 is expensive versus 2020, not yet versus 2008. Affordability was stretching. It had not broken.
US elemental unit value about $92.30 in 2021, from $24.60 in 2020, USGS MCS 2023, is the annual average of this climb. $192 mid-June is a contract print above that average. Two USGS-linked numbers, one recovery year.
Figures follow BC Insight and USGS. Mid-June Tampa about $192, triple year on year, is the 2021 price-recovery chapter.