Huajin Aramco Petrochemical has brought a new 300,000 dwt crude oil berth into operation at Panjin Port, completing the marine feedstock link for one of China’s largest new refining and petrochemical projects. The first laden VLCC completed crude discharge at the berth in the Rongxing port area, with the cargo transferred directly by pipeline into storage tanks at the Huajin Aramco complex. The 430-metre berth can handle tankers ranging from 100,000 dwt to 300,000 dwt and is the only facility at Panjin capable of accommodating VLCCs of this size. It had completed its first empty-vessel trial in August, when berth, navigation and cargo-handling systems were tested ahead of the first commercial crude arrival.
The terminal forms part of the infrastructure supporting Huajin Aramco Petrochemical Company’s RMB83.7bn ($12.5bn) integrated complex at Panjin, a joint venture owned 51% by NORINCO Group, 30% by Saudi Aramco and 19% by Panjin Xincheng Industrial Group. The project combines a 300,000 barrel-per-day refinery with annual capacity for 1.65 million tonnes of ethylene and 2 million tonnes of paraxylene, with Aramco committed to supplying as much as 210,000 barrels per day of crude feedstock. The crude berth had already received government approval for international operations in May, alongside two new general cargo berths, taking Panjin Port’s number of internationally open berths to 22, and the arrival and discharge of the first laden VLCC now moves the facility beyond regulatory approval and trials into commercial operation.
Source: Splash247
