Methanol producer OCI Global has delivered an unspecified volume of bio-methanol to an X-Press Feeders vessel in Rotterdam.

IMAGE: Container ship moored in a commercial dock at night in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Getty Images

The fuel was delivered using UniBarge’s bunker vessel, the company said.

Regulatory nod to sell methanol biz

Parallelly, OCI Global has received regulatory approval from US authorities to sell its global methanol business to Canadian methanol producer Methanex.

Under the agreement, Methanex will acquire OCI Methanol, which includes 100% of OCI’s US and European methanol assets, along with its HyFuels arm, which supplies bio-methanol for bunkering.

“OCI Methanol’s assets are in highly strategic and developed market locations across the United States and Europe with extensive distribution and storage capabilities near major industrial demand centres and key bunkering hubs,” the company said.

Methanex will take over two OCI-owned methanol plants in Beaumont, Texas and a third one in Delfzijl, Netherlands.

Of the Beaumont facilities, one has a methanol production capacity of 910,000 mt/year and an ammonia capacity of 340,000 mt/year. The second one is a joint venture with methanol producer Proman, with a total capacity of 1.7 million mt/year. Methanex will acquire OCI’s 850,000 mt/year share from this facility.

The Delfzijl plant has a capacity of 1 million mt/year, but is “not currently in production due to unfavorable pricing for natural gas feedstock,” OCI noted.

By Konica Bhatt

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