Eric Watkins
Senior Correspondent
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 13 -- Ecuador's state-owned Petroecuador has awarded Dutch trader Trafigura Beheer a 2-year contract to supply LPG while an onshore maritime terminal and 50,000-tonne storage facility is being built in Monteverde, Ecuador.
Petroecuador said Trafigura will supply about 1.6 million tonnes, with monthly deliveries starting in November when Trafigura's current contract expires. Trafigura will need a 40,000-tonne storage vessel and two, 2,500-tonne vessels to transport the LPG to the Tres Bocas terminal in Guayas province.
The contract will help meet demand while Petroecuador and state hydrocarbons maritime transporter Flopec build the Monteverde LPG terminal and pipeline.
Under a 5-year contract, Flopec will build and operate the Monteverde terminal and storage facility, while Petroecuador will build and operate the 146-km, 10-in. La Libertad-Pascuales pipeline and a storage terminal in Pascuales.
The Monteverde terminal will have a capacity to receive vessels exceeding 40,000 dwt.
The Ecuadoran government said the project will reduce operating costs by more than $30 million/year and will provide increased LPG storage efficiency and safety.
Contact Eric Watkins at [email protected].