Brenntag UK & Ireland has agreed terms to create what it says will be the largest sea-fed terminal of its type in the UK with a capacity of more than 2,000 tonnes.

The new facility will be constructed by Simon Storage at its Seal Sands Terminal.

Brenntag UK, which employs more than 750 staff across the UK and Ireland, has been based at the Seal Sands site for more than 15 years.

The investment will expand storage capabilities at Seal Sands and enable Brenntag to import hydrochloric acid (HCL) by ship from outside of the UK, offering customers improvements in supply security.

Work has begun on the new site, which will be operated by Simon Storage, and is due to be completed by mid-2014.

Russel Argo, managing director of Brenntag UK, said: “HCL is an important product for Brenntag and for a number of UK industry sectors.

“It is used in water treatment, food and pharmaceutical production and is a vital part of the steel processing industry and our investment represents a real commitment from Brenntag UK to our customers for the long term sustainable supply of this important product.”

He added: “The Seal Sands location was chosen due to its excellent infrastructure providing Brenntag with a direct route to market as well as to our national distribution network, providing our customers with a more secure and reliable source of HCL.”

Brenntag UK has also invested in a new fleet of purpose-built specialised ISO-tanks to expand its import capacities by road.

Brian Lister, general manager of Brenntag UK’s Inorganics Division, added: “This investment improves our ability to supply HCL from alternative sources to the current UK production locations and fits with Brenntag UK’s strategy to expand our regional tank capacity to offer a wider route to market for both our European and global supplier base.”

Brenntag is a global leader in chemical distribution, linking chemical manufacturers and chemical users.

Headquartered in Germany, it operates a global network with more than 450 locations in over 70 countries. In 2012 it recorded global sales of EUR 9.7bn.