The first-ever shipment of UAE-produced calcined coke has begun its maiden voyage to mainland China.
About 10,500 tons of calcined coke were loaded by Adnoc Refining, a subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc), onto the Lucky Ocho, a vessel chartered by Adnoc Logistics & Services, to be delivered in Yantai, China by the end of April.
The first shipment of this product represents the latest milestone in Adnoc’s effort to reduce production of high-sulfur fuel oil and move towards being a ‘zero-fuel oil’ refining business.
Adnoc made zero-fuel oil refining a high priority when the International Marine Organization’s 2020 regulation was first proposed – aimed at reducing the sulfur content contained in marine fuels from 3.5 percent to 0.5 percent – in an effort to limit the potential environmental impact of global shipping fleets.
IMO 2020 is expected to have a profound impact on the global refining and transport fuels industry.
Jasem Al Sayegh, CEO of Adnoc Refining, said: “This milestone represents a significant step towards being a refining business capable of producing ‘zero-fuel oil’. Adnoc will continue to invest in an effort to broaden our product offering amidst evolving market conditions, ensuring we reduce our environmental footprint and maintain IMO-compliance leading up to 2020 and beyond.”
Adnoc’s multi-billion-dirham downstream investment program will see the company’s refining capacity increase by more than 65 percent, or 600,000 barrels per day (bpd), by 2025, through the addition of a third refinery, creating a total capacity of 1.5 million barrels per day (mbpd).
Adnoc also plans to build one of the world’s largest mixed feed crackers, which will enable it to produce additional feedstocks and additives for the petrochemicals industry.
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