AquaChemie inaugurates $50m petrochemicals terminal at Jebel Ali Port
JEBEL ALI : The $50m bulk liquid terminal is set to facilitate the growing petrochemical trade between manufacturers and end-users across the Middle East and elsewhere.
“The $50 million terminal is set to be one of the most versatile bulk liquid terminals in the GCC with a storage volume of over 34,000 cu m, boosting petrochemical trade across the Middle East and globally,” DP World, the owner and operator of Jebel Ali Port, said.
The terminal is located on the inner basin of the port, affording ready access to ship-borne cargoes.
“It took us over four years to bring the AquaChemie Terminal from concept to reality. We pledge to our customers, employees, investors, and neighbours that we will conduct business in the safest, most environmentally and socially responsible manner possible, for both current and future generations,” said Subrato Saha, AquaChemie’s Managing Director.
“AquaChemie group’s revenue target for the new terminal over the next three years is $300 million. The storage facility has been built primarily for AquaChemie’s captive distribution of products. It strengthens the business case for chemical supply by increasing economies of scale, lowering freight costs, and expanding into new industries and geographies.”
Despite the fact that the project was scheduled to be completed in the second quarter of 2022, construction of the facility took approximately 26 months. WAM, the official UAE news agency, reported in November 2020 that ground had been broken on the facility.
It said the terminal would address “the acute shortage of storage facilities for redistribution and lease for bulk chemicals in Jebel Ali Port.”
AquaChemie Middle East engaged Mott MacDonald, the UK engineering, management, and development consultancy, to undertake the project’s concept design, basic engineering, detailed engineering and project management contract.
“The key advantage of the 20,000 square metre project is its strategic location—connected by four jetty pipelines—located only 500 meters from Jebel Ali Port Chemical Berth No.4,” WAM said.
AquaChemie said the regional petrochemical industry would benefit from the new terminal as the facility was located in Jebel Ali Port, part of a trade network connecting one-third of the world’s locations, while also offering streamlined customs clearance and other trade-related processes.
“Our new state-of-the-art terminal is a step towards backward integration of our current oil and gas offering for the upstream and downstream petrochemical sectors,” said Anand Kumar, Managing Director, AquaChemie. ‘The supply reliability and lower supply chain cost will benefit our existing customers as chemicals will be delivered on time so that operations are not disrupted.”