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Firms submit bids for Ruwais sulphur terminal expansion

5 September 2024

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Contractors have submitted technical bids for an Adnoc Gas project to expand the second sulphur handling terminal (SHT-2) at Ruwais.

The Ruwais SHT-2 terminal receives 22,000 tonnes a day (t/d) of solid sulphur granules from the Habshan gas processing plant and about 11,000 t/d from the Shah sulphur station through the Etihad Rail network.

Contractors submitted technical bids for the project by the deadline of 30 August, according to sources.

MEED previously reported that Adnoc Gas, the natural gas processing business of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc), issued the main engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) tender for the project in August. 

The main objective of the project is to increase the sulphur handling capacity of SHT-2 to 27,000 t/d, along with other upgrades to the unit.

The granulated sulphur received at Ruwais SHT-2 is shipped to Adnoc’s customers worldwide via ships, with ship loaders available at its jetty facilities.

The facilities at Ruwais SHT-2 are experiencing high levels of sulphur dust because of the breakage of the solid granulated sulphur.

Adnoc Gas, in its expression of interest (EoI) document for the project, attributed this "to various reasons like multiple handling of the products, inadequate dust suppression and extraction systems in place that affect HSE [health, safety and environment] aspects as well as the facilities integrity and reliable operation”.

Adnoc Gas issued the EoI document for the Ruwais SHT-2 expansion project to contractors on 29 February, with contractors submitting responses by 14 March, MEED previously reported.

The scope of work on the Ruwais SHT-2 expansion project covers the following:

  • Dust collection and wet scrubber system – Replacement of eight wet scrubber systems
  • Rail car unloading building dump hopper modification – Upgrade of the system is required
  • Magnetic separator – Installation of new magnetic separators and demolition of existing magnetic separators
  • Metal detectors – Installation of new metal detectors
  • Fire and gas system upgrade – Implementation of recommendations of fire and gas systems mapping study performed during front-end engineering and design
  • Rail car unloading building drainage upgrade – Provision of new drainage system and modification for diverting effluent to appropriate existing systems outside the building.

Adnoc Gas manages a sulphur-handling facility in the Ruwais industrial area located 240 kilometres southwest of the city of Abu Dhabi.

The terminal consists of two sulphur handling units, SHT-1 and SHT-2, designed to receive liquid sulphur from trucks, pipelines and ships; produce granulated sulphur; and export granulated and liquid sulphur by ship.

Adnoc Gas has, separately, undertaken a project to expand the capacity of Ruwais SHT-1. Contractors submitted commercial bids for that project on 1 July, MEED previously reported, with the project operator presently evaluating those bids.

The project aims to increase the sulphur granulation capacity of the two SHT-1 berths from 8,750 t/d to 9,900 t/d. 

The overall SHT-1 expansion project is valued at an estimated $400m, according to sources.

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Indrajit Sen

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