Dutch fertiliser and chemical firm OCI is to expand its ammonia import terminal in the Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands as it seeks to meet rising demand.

OCI’s terminal is the only ammonia facility in Rotterdam and the planned expansion will triple its throughput capacity to 1.2 million tpa. The company has just taken the final investment decision (FID) on the expansion, following rising European ammonia imports in the past year, compensation for lower production, and ongoing high gas prices.

In addition, the expanded terminal will be able to offer ammonia bunkering for ammonia-fuelled vessels, which are expected to launch in 2025, and will act as a hub for hydrogen, in the form of blue and green ammonia, from regions with ample renewable energy and natural gas resources, such as the Middle East and North Africa.

The work will be carried out in stages, with the initial increase in throughput capacity from 400,000 tpa to 1.2 million tpa achieved through low-cost upgrades to OCI’s existing infrastructure. OCI expects to complete this initial phase in 2023, at a cost of below US$20 million (€19 million). The company has completed a basic engineering package for the construction of a new world-scale ammonia tank and a scale-up in jetty infrastructure, which will constitute phase 2. This will increase capacity to 3 million tpa, and OCI says it will begin permitting activities before the end of 2022.

(Source: Tank Storage Magazine, June 20-2022)