On 27th January the Ethylene Carrier "PGC Aratos" owned by Paradise Gas Carriers called Euroservices Terminal for purging and conditioning activities.

 

At first sight this might be considered as a normal actitivity at our terminal, however it is the first time our terminal supplies ethylene for gassing up and cooling down.

 

Despite the huge demand from our clients, we could not find solutions in the past to transport ethylene by road to our terminal in Zeebrugge. This has changed since end of 2014. We have found a facility where we can load ethylene in cryogenic containers and transport them by road or rail to Zeebrugge in order to prepare gas tankers for ethylene trade.

 

PGC Aratos left drydock in Antwerp with tanks under breathable air and arrived in Zeebrugge with open tanks ready for visual inspection by an independent surveyor. After acceptance by surveyor, the tanks with total capacity of 9033 cbm were successfully purged with high purity shore nitrogen till requested specifications for ethylene trade (i.e. max 0,2% O2 & min dewpoint of -50°C).

 

After purging operations tanks were gassed up and cooled down using 50mt of ethylene, delivered in 3 cryogenic containers. These operations took place basis top spray in/top purge out with a flare return line available to flare off overpressure (nitrogen/ethylene).

 

Stefaan Hoppe, General Manager Euroservices; "Ethylene was the missing link in our portfolio. Today we are in the possibility to provide a wide range of coolants in Zeebrugge; butane, propane, propylene, butadiene, ammonia, VCM, LNG and ethylene... LPG-vessels are leaving Zeebrugge under next cargo vapours, ready for immediate loading operations at their loading port."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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