July 29, 2026 14:43

The two ships carrying the final modules for the Project ONE ethane cracker, which Ineos is building near the Port of Antwerp, took advantage of the brief ceasefire in mid-June to transit through the Strait of Hormuz.

Built in Abu Dhabi, the two modules had been stranded in the Gulf region for months because of the war in Iran and the blockade of the Strait. After clearing the passage, they headed for Antwerp via the Suez Canal.

The first module weighs 6,920 tonnes and stands 55 metres high, while the second, which is due to arrive in the Belgian port area in the coming days, weighs 7,200 tonnes.

Once the protective structures used during transport have been removed, the two components will be installed at the heart of the plant, completing the cracker configuration.

“We are extremely relieved that the last two modules have arrived ‘home’ in Antwerp safely,” said John McNally, CEO of Ineos Project ONE. “I am already looking forward to seeing them take their final positions within the overall installation so that we can complete hooking all of our modules together and start up our cracker complex. This marks a significant milestone in the realisation of this project, which is unique in Europe.”

For this major project, the British group deliberately opted for modular construction to overcome space constraints at the Antwerp site, minimise disruption and save time.

While the process modules, cracker units and pipe racks were being assembled at overseas sites, civil engineering and foundation work could proceed in parallel in Antwerp. Following the gradual phasing-out of activities at the final Abu Dhabi site in the first quarter of this year, all work is now concentrated at the Belgian port.

Mechanical completion of the cracker, which will have an annual ethylene capacity of 1.45 million tonnes, is scheduled for summer 2027, while production is expected to begin in the second half of the same year.

Once operational, Ineos claims it will be the most efficient and sustainable cracker of its kind currently in operation, with carbon emissions around one-third of those of an average European plant of the same type and less than half those of the top 10% most efficient plants operating in Europe.

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