Africa & the Middle East

TERMINAL NEWS: MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA

Qatar

QATARENERGY SIGNS LNG SPAS WITH S&T AND GUANGDONG

QatarEnergy’s LNG producing affiliates have signed long-term sale and purchase agreements (SPAs) with Guangdong Energy Group Natural Gas (GEG) and S&T International Natural Gas Trading Company (S&T).

The first deal, between Ras Laffan Liquefied Natural Gas Company and GEG, is for the supply of 1 million tpa of LNG over a ten-year period beginning in 2024. Deliveries will be made to the Dapeng and Zhuhai LNG receiving terminals in China using Qatar’s fleet of conventional, Q-Flex and Q-Max LNG vessels. The second deal, between Qatar Liquified Gas Company and S&T, is for the supply of 1 million tpa of LNG over a 15-year period beginning in late 2022. The LNG will be delivered to the Tangshan LNG receiving terminal using Qatar’s fleet of conventional, Q-Flex and Q-Max LNG vessels.

South Africa

SAKHUMNOTHO INVESTS IN REFINEX AND SA TANK TERMINALS

African investment company Sakhumnotho Group Holdings has bought an initial 26% stake in the Refinex and South African Tank Terminals (SATT) holding company.

Refinex, founded as Energy Oil Oleochemicals in 1983, is one of the largest privately own petrochemicals companies in southern Africa. It offers bulk fuel oil supplies and together with SATT offers processing, manufacturing, blending, transport and storage of petrochemicals. SATT’s terminal in Roodekop Germiston has a capacity of 12 million L, with storage available for both Refinex and external customers. Product is currently moved in and out of the terminal by road tanker, but with a rail siding also onsite there is the potential to also distribute products by rail. Sakhumnotho says that the acquisition is a precursor to acquiring a larger stake in the holdings company. The investment firm has existing experience in the oil and gas sector, having already invested in Total Southern Africa. Combining this expertise with that of Refinex and SATT in processing petrochemical streams will allow the companies together to consolidate the entire petrochemical value chain, from supply to customer. As well as refining virgin oil, Refinex also sources waste oil to produce furnace fuels and solvents, recycling the resources and preventing them from being dumped and potentially polluting the environment. Refinex says that by enabling growth and expansion, through new investment, that it will be able to have a greater positive impact on the environment. As Sakhumnotho is wholly black-owned, the deal also provides Refinex and SATT with Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) credits, under the government scheme set up in South Africa to address the inequalities of Apartheid and support black businesses. A good score improves the change of obtaining government contracts.

UAE

VTTI ACQUIRES IPTF IN FUJAIRAH

Dutch-based terminal company VTTI has bought a 90% stake in IL&FS Prime Terminals FZC (IPTF) in Fujairah, UAE.

The remaining 10% remains with the Fujairah government. The state-of-the-art terminal has 14 tanks with a total capacity of 333,484 m3 and handles a wide range of petroleum products. An expansion is underway which will take the terminal’s capacity to more than 780,000 m3 . IL&FS says that selling the stake has allowed it to repay a debt of INR 7.58 billion (€90.6 million) to lenders First Abu Dhabi Bank, National Bank of Fujairah and State Bank of India. The company has been struggling with high debts and this is the second major asset sale. Fujairah, located outside the problematic Strait of Hormuz, is one of the world’s four key oil hubs. VTTI says that acquiring IPTF will allow it to significantly expand its long-established position in the port.

UAE

ADNOC, AD PORTS TO DEVELOP TA’ZIZ PORT AND LOGISTICS FACILITY

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company Logistics and Services (ADNOC L&S) and AD Ports Group have signed an agreement to develop a new port and liquids terminal at TA’ZIZ chemicals production and industrial hub in Ruwais, UAE.

The new terminal will form part of the feedstocks supply chain and store and load final products for export. It will have a tank farm with ten product tanks and a feedstock storage tank, as well as specialised utilities, control rooms, and product vapour handling systems. The port will have loading and unloading facilities, two liquid berths, both 640 m long, and a 320 m dry bulk berth. The partners will seek an international operator to join the joint venture. TA’ZIZ is expected to begin chemicals production in 2025. It comprises three zones. The industrial chemicals zone will host chemicals production, and currently has seven world-scale projects in the design phase. The light industrial zone will convert the outputs of the industrial chemicals zone into consumable products. The industrial services zone will host companies who provide services required by the other zones.

UAE

BROOGE APPOINTS SAHEB AS DEPUTY CEO

UAE midstream company Brooge Energy has appointed Lina Saheb as deputy CEO.

Saheb was formerly the company’s chief strategy officer. In her new role she will continue to lead the company’s strategic growth initiatives and will work closely with Nicolaas L. Paardenkooper, CEO of Brooge Energy and BPGIC. This will include looking into expanding into the renewable energy sector. Saheb joined Brooge Energy in 2010 and has extensive experience in the energy and infrastructure industries.