Ineos has reached a long-term agreement to supply US-produced ethane to SP Chemicals’ newbuild 650,000-tonne/year cracker in Taixing, Jiangsu Province, China. Ineos has been shipping ethane from the US to Europe since 2015.
The agreement includes construction of a 95,000-cu m very large ethane carrier (VLEC) to be delivered in 2019. The ship, which Ineos describes as the largest VLEC yet built, will be operated by Evergas. It will be the first VLEC in Evergas’s fleet of 23 gas carriers.
The Jaccar Group will manage construction of the vessel at China’s Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Offshore. The VLEC will use four cargo tanks, including three Type-C Trilobe VLEC tanks developed by JHW Engineering & Contracting.
