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Firms submit revised bids for Ruwais sulphur terminal expansion

7 May 2025

 

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Contractors have submitted revised proposals to Adnoc Gas for a project to expand the second sulphur handling terminal (SHT-2) in Ruwais, Abu Dhabi.

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 via the Etihad Rail network.

MEED previously reported that Adnoc Gas, the natural gas processing business of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc), had initially requested contractors to submit revised technical bids for the Ruwais SHT-2 expansion project by 21 April, with the deadline later extended until 30 April.

Contractors submitted an initial round of technical bids for the project to Adnoc Gas by 30 August 2024, MEED reported.

Adnoc Gas later expanded the scope of work on the Ruwais SHT-2 expansion project, as a result of which contractors were asked to revise their bids.

Bidders for the project are understood to include a consortium of Egyptian contractors Engineering for the Petroleum & Process Industries (Enppi) and Petrojet, and Abu Dhabi-based Al-Jaber Energy Services.

Project objectives

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 transported to Adnoc’s customers worldwide on 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 factors including "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 2024, with contractors submitting responses by 14 March 2024, MEED previously reported.

The main engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) tender for the project was released in August last year.

The expanded scope of work on the project now involves the construction of a railway bridge that will connect the Ruwais SHT-2 facility with the Etihad Rail network, along with the EPC of the following units and services:

  • 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.

Ruwais SHT-1 expansion

Adnoc Gas has separately undertaken a project to expand the capacity of Ruwais SHT-1. MEED recently reported that the operator had awarded the main contract for that project, estimated to be worth $700m, to China-headquartered Wison Engineering.

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

When Adnoc’s $17bn Hail and Ghasha offshore sour gas field development project comes on stream towards the end of this decade, it will generate significant volumes of sulphur that will need to be processed at the Ruwais complex.

ALSO READ: Contractors get more time for Shah gas expansion project bids

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Indrajit Sen

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