Vopak’s Eurotank terminal has been involved in a multimillion-euro investment, comprising 20 new tanks with a total capacity of 40,500 cbm, capable of holding 11 different types of liquid chemicals to accommodate additional storage of Dow arising from a new manufacturing source in the Middle East. Dow will market and sell the majority of volumes produced by Sadara Chemical Company, its joint venture with state-owned Saudi Aramco of Saudi Arabia, according to Vopak.

“Vopak Eurotank will act as the Northern European distribution hub for these products,” the port authority said.

In late August, Sadara started up a mixed feed cracker at Jubail Industrial City II, made up of a dozen furnaces, seven of which are to be used to crack ethane and the remaining five to crack naphtha, according to a company statement dated Aug. 28.

The cracker forms part of a $20 billion chemicals complex with 26 manufacturing units.

Output is to be sold internationally and domestically, with the adjacent PlasChem Park representing a local downstream outlet.

Vopak commissioned 24,000 cbm of incremental chemicals capacity at its existing Eurotank terminal in the first half of 2016, with 6,000 cbm of new space underway for an autumn launch, it said in its last interim report. About 10,000 cbm had already been added last year.

A new pipeline network linked with two deep-sea loading jetties and three loading/unloading bays for trucks and rail wagons complement the new chemical tanks, the port authority said.

Last year, chemicals volumes (13.45 million mt) made up about one-fifth of liquid bulk cargo handled at the port of Antwerp, as per port statistics.