Port of Antwerp supports chemicals

BANK ON TANKS

ANTWERP • THE PORT AUTHORITY’S SUPPORT IS HELPING THE CHEMICAL CLUSTER TO GROW, ATTRACTING MORE INVESTMENT IN LOGISTICS SERVICES

THE PORT OF Antwerp handled 73.1m tonnes of liquid bulk products last year, a 5.7 per cent increase over 2016. Much of this was driven by crude oil throughput, which rose by 50 per cent to 6.0m tonnes on the back of improved refinery economics. Throughput of oil derivatives, which account for nearly 75 per cent of total liquid bulk, continued to increase, rising 3.1 per cent to 52.9m tonnes.

The fourth quarter of 2017 saw the highest ever volume recorded passing through Antwerp. “Finishing the year with such strong growth figures gives us confidence for the future,” says Jacques Vandermeiren, CEO of the Antwerp Port Authority. “The port companies too remain firmly convinced of the advantages of Antwerp and the strengths that it has to offer, witness the many investments that we were able to welcome in 2017. In 2018 we seek to build further on the momentum of the previous year.”

Many of those investments focus on the expanding chemical cluster within the Antwerp area. Recognising the importance of connectivity in the sector, the Port has invested in supporting the industry, acquiring ownership during 2017 of the pipelines that link production facilities and chemical tank storage sites within the port to those in the nearby chemical clusters in Feluy and Geel.

WHO’S BUILDING WHAT Investment of that nature both supports the competitiveness of existing commercial operations within the port and encourages the construction of new facilities and the expansion of existing activities, both helping to generate additional employment and support the local economy.

Operators of independent tank storage capacity are alert to those opportunities, and the past year has seen some interesting developments within the port. ITC Rubis, for instance, completed construction of a new tank pit with two 10,000-m3 tanks. Noord Natie has built a new office building where it has centralised all its departments and this year is working on construction of 32,700 m3 of new stainless steel tankage in two tank pits, due in service at the end of the third quarter. The company is planning to continue to increase capacity through to 2022.

Other plans have been announced for future development. SEA-Invest, together with its client Total, is to build eight new 20,000-m3 tanks as part of a €100m project that also includes new loading and unloading bays and a pipeline link to the Total refinery. The Port of Antwerp will support this with dredging to increase the depth alongside the terminal to 15.5 metres. Vesta Terminals is also to expand storage capacity for refined products, with 150,000 m3 of tankage and two new barge berths due in service early in 2019.

There is also interest in the LPG sector. Oiltanking Antwerp Gas Terminal is building a significant new facility to handle LPG for Ineos and in September 2017 Antwerp Terminal and Processing Co broke ground on a new 30,000 m3 storage facility designed to handle ethane, butane, propane and derived products.

The Port of Antwerp says its role is to continue to stimulate new investments in tank storage, to optimise current infrastructure and to focus on new and emerging opportunities, such as LNG, for the long-term benefit of the community. In view of the volume of activity right now, that strategy is paying off. HCB www.portofantwerp.com