Chemical Industry News

Stolt-Nielsen Limited has reported unaudited results for the third quarter ending August 31, 2023 including a net profit of $90.1 million with revenue of $694.4 million.This compares with a net profit of $8.3 million, with revenue of $721.9 million, in the second quarter of 2023. The second quarter included an incremental loss provision of $155.0 million (net profit impact of $105 million) related to the loss of the MSC Flaminia after a fire onboard in 2012.The net profit for the nine months of 2023 was $198.2 million with revenue of $2…

Maersk and Hong Lam Marine have conducted the world’s first ship-to-container ship methanol bunkering operation of a Maersk’s container vessel at the Raffles Reserved Anchorage in Singapore.This was also Singapore’s first methanol bunkering and it was conducted with the support of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), government agencies and research institutes.Maersk’s container vessel – the world’s first container vessel sailing on green methanol – was successfully refuelled with approximately 300 metric tonnes of bio-methanol via Hong Lam Marine’s Singapore-registered tanker…

Three marine industry partners are working to develop a concept for a high-speed internal combustion engine for ships that can run on green methanol in a CO2-neutral manner.Rolls-Royce, Woodward L’Orange and WTZ Roßlau have been working since the beginning of 2023 on the new joint project “MeOHmare”, which is receiving eight million euros in funding from the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection.Dr. Daniel Chatterjee, responsible for technology strategy and sustainability at alliance coordinator Rolls-Royce Power Systems…

Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF) and the inland navigation sector with the support of the Central Commission for the Navigation of the Rhine (CCNR) have collaborated with other European organizations to produce the second edition of the International Safety Guide for Inland Navigation Tank-barges and Terminals (ISGINTT).The purpose of ISGINTT is to improve the safe transport of dangerous goods at the interface between inland tank barges and other vessels or shore facilities (terminals).

Odfjell is constructing a new tank bay at Odfjell Terminal Houston (OTH), continuing to expand and invest in its terminals platform to support ongoing regional growth in the chemical industry.The company is investing in and expanding its terminals platform with the addition of a new, modern, automated tank bay. Bay 13 at Odfjell Terminals Houston (OTH) will increase capacity by approximately 9% to 413,400 cubic meters (cbm). The expansion project is consistent with OTH's strategy…

The Port of Antwerp recorded a year-on-year rise in the volume of cargo handled for the first seven months of 2021, even though disruptions caused by COVID-19 and Britain's departure from the European Union have depressed trade elsewhere, officials said.Countries have tightened entry requirements in response to successive waves of the pandemic, leading ports to become backed up and preventing seafarers from changing over with colleagues onboard ships for many months.Separately…

UK-based Global Energy Group and Swiss-based integrated energy company, Proman have partnered up to develop a renewable power to methanol plant using local sources of captured CO2 to be located at the Nigg Oil Terminal in the Highlands of Scotland.GEG is also the owner of the Nigg Oil Terminal and Proman is the second-largest methanol producer in the world-GEG said that the development of an industrial-scale renewable power to methanol production facility with CO2 to be provided from local industrial sources will be known as the “Cromarty Clean Fuels Project“.

Trelleborg has, through its Trelleborg Industrial Solutions business area, signed an agreement and finalized the acquisition of the Dutch company Gutteling Group BV. The company develops and sells composite hoses to the chemical industry and is the market leader in hoses for liquefied natural gas (LNG) ship-to-ship transfer. The acquisition complements Trelleborg’s industrial hose, and specifically, composite hose, offering. Composite hoses are mainly used for aggressive chemicals…

A methanol-operated fuel cell system from Freudenberg Sealing Technologies has received approval in principle (AIP) from classification society DNV GL, setting the course for further testing aboard the cruise ship AidaNova as soon as 2021.Converting the approximately 100,000 commercial ships on the world’s oceans to CO2-neutral propulsion systems is one of the maritime industry's greatest challenges. Since a large part of this fleet is operated on the high seas, the range of any new propulsion systems must be able to cover vast distances.

China's energy and chemical giant Sinopec has said it has put China's largest petrochemical port into operation with the successful docking and unloading of the New Renown, a very large crude carrier (VLCC) from the Middle East. The tanker was welcomed at the new 300,000-ton crude oil terminal of Sinopec Zhongke Refinery Port, which forms part of the company's "front terminal, rear plant" production model.Located 1,100 meters from Sinopec's refinery, the petrochemical port features eight terminals including a 300…

Ammonia, the same pungent solution used in fertilizers and cleaning agents, may one day be the key to transporting renewable energy around the world. There are currently a number of government and corporate projects assessing the feasibility of converting excess renewable energy from sources like wind, solar, tidal and nuclear into ammonia and then back into usable energy.In its purist form, ammonia or NH3 is composed of one nitrogen and three hydrogen atoms making it an ideal candidate to chemically bind excess renewable energy. Like several other chemical compounds, ammonia can be transported by chemical tanker in liquid form to end-users. Based on its near ambient liquification point, it may be more appealing to transport ammonia over longer distances than hydrogen.

A ‘work in progress,’ the North American brown water, shallow draft sectors have experienced a tumultuous year of evolution, changing market conditions, a rapidly shifting regulatory environment and new opportunities. Anything but boring; and within the pages of Maritime Reporter’ & Engineering News’ Annual Yearbook, Joseph Keefe, editor of sister-publication MarineNews, takes a deep dive into the issues driving the domestic waterfront.Workboat EmissionsMore than one year ago, Volkswagon learned the ultimate (and painful) meaning of the iconic U.S. adage of “Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time – or at least pay the staggering fine.” And pay it forward, Volkswagen did.

According to the preliminary estimate, the consumption of natural gas in China exceeded 27 million cubic meters in 2018, registering a YOY increase of more than 10%, said a report.The growing Chinese economy and stricter environmental protection policies drive the growth of natural gas consumption in China. In 2018, the Chinese government introduced several environmental protection policies to further prevent and control atmospheric pollution and replace coal with natural gas in key areas, which pushed up natural gas consumption in China.The market survey by ResearchAndMarkets shows that in 2018, the consumption of natural gas for power generation…

Global Natural Gas Liquid Market is poised to cross 14 million barrels per day by 2025, said a study.Japan natural gas liquid market is projected to surpass an annual consumption of 0.2 mbl/day said the latest study by Global Market Insights.Accelerating funding’s toward chemical industry along with the manufacturing of high value-added petrochemicals will augment the industry growth.In addition, up-surge in investments toward automotive sector coupled with expansion of various industrial base including manufacturing, refineries and chemicals will positively impact the product penetration.The U.S. natural gas liquid market is set to…

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) has announced $6,790,000 in grants to three Marine Highway projects. The funding, provided by MARAD’s Marine Highway Program, will go towards enhancing existing services in Louisiana and Virginia as well as supporting the development of a new project in New York.“These grants will expand the use of our country’s waterways, which are essential to our economic growth and vitality,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao.

On August 18, 1990, the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90) was enacted into law. Section 4202 of that Act amended the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (FWPCA or Clean Water Act) to require tank vessels and marine transportation-related facilities to prepare and submit to the US Coast Guard plans for responding, to the maximum extent practicable, to a worse case discharge, and to a substantial threat of such a discharge, of oil or a hazardous substance carried in bulk as cargo.

Europe’s largest petrochemicals company Ineos has chosen the Port of Antwerp as the location for a mega-investment of three billion euros ($3.4 billion).The British chemical company's investment will be the biggest in the European chemical industry in two decades.Belgium port will be the location for iIneos' project for an ethane gas cracker and world-scale PDH unit in Europe. The two new factories will employ a total of 500 people.Sir Jim Ratcliffe, CEO and Chairman of Ineos said: “Our investment in a gas cracker and world-scale PDH unit is the largest of its kind in Europe for more than a generation and is an important development for the European petrochemical industry.

With expected growth of 5.1% compared with last year, 2018 looks set to be a record year for the Port of Antwerp for the sixth time in a row."In 2019 the Port Authority will keep to the same course, further building a sustainable future for the port. In pursuit of this goal it is concentrating heavily on structural solutions to challenges such as mobility, the energy transition, digitisation and innovation," said a press release from the port authority.The expected total freight volume in 2018 comes to 235 million tonnes, a new record, with unparalleled growth in all types of cargo. The large expansion in container freight continues, reaching 130 million tonnes (up 5.8%) or 11 million TEU (up 5.5%).

Belgian port Antwerp said that throughput continues to register growth in the port. After record semi-annual figures, the total throughput after nine months stands at 177,026,550 tonnes – a sharp 6% increase compared with the same period last year.With these results, the port seems to be on track for the sixth record year in a row. The recent wave of investments moreover confirms the port’s appeal and reaffirms its role as a world player.Maritime throughput continues to grow. Container traffic registered robust growth yet again, up by 7.1%  (98,436,773 tonnes) compared with the first nine months of 2017. In terms of Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs)…

Throughput continues to register growth in the Port of Antwerp. After record semi-annual figures, the total throughput after nine months stands at 177,026,550 tonnes – a sharp 6% increase compared with the same period last year.A press release from the company said that with these results, the port seems to be on track for the sixth record year in a row. The recent wave of investments moreover confirms the port’s appeal and reaffirms its role as a world player.Container traffic registered robust growth yet again, up by 7.1%  (98,436,773 tonnes) compared with the first nine months of 2017. In terms of Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs)…

Nouryon (formerly AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals), Tata Steel and the Port of Amsterdam have joined together to study the feasibility of a large green hydrogen cluster in the Amsterdam region.According to a press release, the three parties consider green hydrogen as vital for reaching climate targets and building a more circular economy, for example by combining it with emissions from steel manufacture to make new products.As a first step, the parties will study the feasibility of a 100 megawatt water electrolysis facility to produce up to 15,000 tons of hydrogen per year as well as oxygen at Tata Steel’s IJmuiden site, near Amsterdam.

A consortium of companies comprising Air Liquide, AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals, Enerkem and the Port of Rotterdam Authority has signed a development agreement for the initial investments in an advanced waste-to-chemistry plant in Rotterdam. The aim is that this will be the first plant of this type in Europe to offer a sustainable alternative for waste incineration, by converting plastic and mixed waste into new raw materials for industry. These investments – for detailed engineering, the establishment of a special joint-venture and the conclusion of the licensing procedure – amount to some € 9 million. The consortium is aiming for the project’s final investment decision…

The chemical tankers market is projected to grow from USD 26.63 billion in 2017 to USD 33.11 billion by 2022, at a CAGR of 4.5% between 2017 and 2022, said a research report. The flourishing chemical industry and increasing use of water transportation for transferring chemicals from one place to another across the globe are the major driving factors for the growth of the chemical tankers market, said Report Linker. Chemical tankers market includes revenues earned through shipping of chemicals and related products. The growth of the chemical tankers market is expected to be adversely impacted by the political unrest in the Middle East & Africa region as this region is one of the leading markets for chemical tankers.