AS INEOS Intrepid, the world’s largest multi gas carrier, slipped into the harbour at Rafnes, Norway, the feeling was one of immense pride. The sight of this huge vessel – with Shale Gas for Progress emblazoned on its 180-metre hull – moored safely was as breath-taking as the precious cargo it had transported 3,800 miles across the Atlantic.
This was history in the making.
For the first time ever ethane from US shale gas had been shipped to Europe.
For INEOS, the company which had had the vision to make it happen, it represented the culmination of a $2 billion investment.
For David, the man given the task of overseeing the project, it was quite emotional to see the ship appear on the horizon.
“Outsiders had said it could not be done but at that moment when the INEOS Intrepid came into view all doubt faded away, ” he said. “It was the culmination of five years of hard work by an incredible group of people across seven countries.”
He said he felt incredibly proud as the ship entered the fjord escorted by two tugs spraying water cannons 50 metres into the air, forming a rainbow across the bow.
“As she passed closer to us she sounded her horns, which made the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end,” he said. “At that point I remember thinking ‘We have done it.’”
Chairman and INEOS founder Jim Ratcliffe said the ship’s arrival – after 14 days at sea – was a strategically important day for INEOS and Europe.
“We have seen how shale gas has revitalised US manufacturing and for the first time ever Europe can access this essential energy and raw material source too,” he said. “European manufacturing is becoming less and less competitive and we believe that US shale gas could help turn this around.”
He added: “I am incredibly proud of everyone involved in it. I believe that INEOS is one of very few companies in the world that could have successfully pulled this off.”
INEOS had been planning for this day for five years.
The vessels are incredibly complex. No one has ever built ships like these before. They are the very first ships capable of moving huge quantities of ethane gas over thousands of miles of ocean.
Each ship has a message written down its side – Shale Gas for Manufacturing, Shale Gas For Chemicals, Shale Gas For Europe and Shale Gas for Progress.
The common theme is shale gas, which has led to the manufacturing renaissance and boom in America.
So far four of INEOS’ fleet of eight Dragon class vessels have been built. Together they will be moving 40,000 barrels of US shale gas a day, every day, for the next 15 years to its two petrochemical sites in Norway and Grangemouth in Scotland in the UK.
By 2020, INEOS hopes to be importing about eight shipments a month from the US to supply its European petrochemical facilities and an ethylene plant owned by Exxon Mobil Corporation in Scotland.
When the first shipments of liquefied ethane, cooled to -90ºC, finally arrive at Grangemouth later this year, the plant will move from loss making to profitable literally overnight.
“It will move it back into the world’s premier league of petrochemical facilities,” said Jim.
INEOS’ gas crackers in Norway and Scotland have, in the past, relied on gas from the North Sea but those supplies have been dwindling. The gas from the US will complement the reducing gas feed from the North Sea.
The ethane storage tank at Rafnes can hold 19,000 tonnes of liquefied gas; the one at Grangemouth is capable of storing 33,000 tonnes.