A fully loaded cargo ship has departed from Gaolan port in China carrying more than 20,000 tonnes of purified terephthalic acid, or PTA, to customers in India. It’s not the first time that INEOS Aromatics has used an innovative solution called break bulk cargo to overcome global supply chain challenges, but it is the first time a full vessel has been loaded comprising of PTA volumes for multiple customers to India.
In break bulk cargo, product is transported in bags, drum or other ways, instead of inside conventional shipping containers. Eight thousand tonnes of PTA were recently delivered from Zhuhai to a customer in the Middle East using the same method.
Alongside the use of break bulk, an innovative feature of this shipment is that it pools the orders of five different customers in India. This ensures that the order is both: competitive for all parties involved; and they can meet their contractual commitment to offtake PTA from INEOS in a time when container prices are high and container availability is constrained.
INEOS Aromatics' team in Zhuhai went above and beyond to ensure the customers' needs could be met by:
- Working closely with each customer to create a combined breakbulk shipment solution that made it viable for customers to pick up their volumes from Zhuhai
- Co-ordinating with the shipping agent to finalise the laycan (the period when chartered ships must arrive to load a cargo) at Gaolan and with Gaolan port to ensure loading was according to plan
Bill Zhao, INEOS Aromatics Asia Business Director said, 'Global supply chains for containers are expected to remain challenging for some time, so I’m proud of the efforts of our team to develop this viable logistics solution that ensures we can serve PTA customers in India in 2022. The planning and coordination going forward is going to lead to more efficiency and achieving scheduled timely shipments. I’m confident that this will position INEOS Aromatics as a credible supplier of PTA with our Indian customers.'
INEOS Aromatics' PTA is used all over the world by the polyester industry to manufacture items such as clothes, carpets and food packaging. The latest generation PTA technology introduced in Zhuhai in 2015 reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 65%, water discharge by 75% and solid waste disposal by 95%, compared to conventional technologies.