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By Sami Zaptia.
London, 5 August 2019:
Libya’s Ras Lanuf Oil and Gas Processing Company (RASCO), located in Ras Lanuf eastern Libya, announced Friday that the first shipment of ethylene gas arrived at its port as part of in efforts to restart its ethylene production.
RASCO reported that the tanker Stella Kosan had docked at jetty 3B loaded with the first shipment of about 4,000 metric tons of ethylene gas, which it said would be the first of numerous planned shipments needed to fill the ethylene tank at the cryogenic (freezing) area.
These feedstock shipments will supply the polyethylene plant in preparation to re-start the plant ‘‘within next few days’’, RASCO said.
It will be recalled that Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC), the parent company of RASCO, had announced in April last year that ethylene and polyethylene production was to start ‘‘soon’’ at the Ras Lanuf Oil and Gas Manufacturing Company. No exact date had been given at the time of the announcement.
In March this year RASCO had announced that it had successfully replaced a flaring incinerator and in the same month it announced that its port was now ready to operate after maintenance was completed.
The company had thanked its Libyan workforce who were able to prepare the port to receive ships and tankers for both imports and exports – without the help of any foreign expertise and despite a shortage of financial and material resources.
It should be noted that the Ras Lanuf ethylene plant has been inactive since 2011, and the polyethylene plant has been suspended since 2013. The plants are awaiting necessary maintenance and the re-commissioning of the refinery to provide the necessary feedstock raw material.
NOC to restart ethylene and polyethylene production at Ras Lanuf complex
NOC’s Ras Lanuf polyethylene plant progressing towards April opening
