March 13, 2023 [CHEManager] – Gas shipping company Navigator Holdings is expanding the capacity of its ethylene export terminal near Houston, Texas, USA, that it operates as a 50:50 joint venture with Enterprise Products Partners.

The project is expected to lift capacity at the Morgan’s Point facility on the Houston Ship Channel by at least 550,000 t/y up to a total of 2 million t/y. In addition, it is anticipated to triple ethylene refrigeration capacity threefold, from 125 t/h currently to 375 t/h, providing better flexibility for customers and potential to add extra capacity based on demand, Navigator said.

By the end of 2024, potential total ethylene export capacity at Morgan’s Point could be more than 3 million t/y, although Navigator added that the project’s timing and completion date remained subject to a number of uncertainties. The company’s financial contribution to the project is expected to be about $120–130 million.

Navigator and Enterprise started operating the export terminal in December 2020. The storage tank at the terminal is supplied by a 600-million-pound ethylene storage cavern at Enterprise’s Mont Belvieu, Texas complex. Navigator operates a fleet of 54 semi- or fully refrigerated liquefied gas carriers, 23 of which are ethylene and ethane capable.

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