New terminals in USCG

CLASS IN GULF

CONSTRUCTION • YOU WAIT AGES FOR A NEW TERMINAL IN THE US GULF THEN TWO COME ALONG AT ONCE. THESE NEW FACILITIES ILLUSTRATE TWO DIVERGENT ASPECTS OF THE FUELS MARKET ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS

VOPAK MODA HOUSTON, the 50/50 joint venture between Royal Vopak and Moda Midstream, has been fully commissioned, coming onstream in December. The new facility, the first greenfield terminal to be built in the Port of Houston in more than a decade, is designed to be the premier terminalling hub on the US Gulf Coast for hydrogen and low-carbon ammonia and will leverage the deepwater capabilities of the Port of Houston to accommodate very large gas carriers (VLGCs) as well as inland barges.

Meanwhile, further east, construction work has started on the NOLA Oil Terminal, sited on the Mississippi River in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana. The $930m project will serve oceangoing tankers up to Suezmax site, as well as inland tank barges, handling crude oil and refined products. It will also offer blending, storage and transhipment services.

These two new terminals provide quite different illustrations of the global fuels market, with Vopak Moda looking to a decarbonised future while NOLA looks back to a hydrocarbon-based economy. For now, at least, there seems to be room for both. The one thing they have in common is that they seek to benefit from their ability to handle large vessels, to provide economies of scale to their customers.

For instance, Christian Amedee, COO of NOLA Oil Terminal, says: “Crude oil and clean petroleum products such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel are significant trade products for Louisiana, but we aren’t able to take advantage of the larger vessels. That changes today. This terminal will be the first in the area to be able to accommodate vessels which currently are too large and deep to dock in the Mississippi River or in most Gulf of Mexico and Eastern Seaboard ports. The positive impact on Louisiana’s economy will be immense.”

The first phase of construction is scheduled to be completed in mid-2022; on completion of the second phase, the terminal will offer some 10m bbl (1.59 m3) of tank storage capacity.

ROOM FOR MORE Vopak Moda, meanwhile, has been designed as the only ammonia terminal in Houston with deepwater access. It is located close to the Deer Park refining and petrochemical hub, with pipeline links to the petrochemical complex to deliver ammonia, hydrogen and nitrogen to the terminal.

“We are thrilled to bring the Vopak Moda Houston terminal into full service together with our partner Royal Vopak, our customers and other stakeholders,” says Moda Midstream CEO and founder Jonathan Z Ackerman. “In today’s world, supply chains must be resilient and sustainable. With the ability to safely and reliably transport ammonia and other pressurised gases for our current and future customers, Vopak Moda Houston is a vital link in the new energy transition supply chain.

“We are in active discussions with customers to provide logistics solutions for low-carbon products, including storage and handling of green and blue ammonia, hydrogen and low-carbon bunkering,” Ackerman adds.

For Vopak, the development fits into its strategy of focusing on assets that will optimise the supply chains for new fuels, including ammonia. “We are excited with this successful cooperation with Moda,” says Chris Robblee, president of Vopak Americas. “Our expertise and our presence in the main industrial clusters makes us well-equipped to actively contribute to the development of new supply chains for the energy and feedstocks of the future.”

Vopak Moda Houston has two 15,000-tonne ammonia tanks and five smaller pressurized bullet tanks with a combined capacity of 14,285 bbl (2,270 m3). It also has space for expansion at its waterfront and its remote rail loop. www.modamidstream.com nolaoil.com