The Arrival of First Furnaces at Port of Antwerp-Bruges Marks a Milestone for European Chemical Sector

On January 15, 2025, COSCO Shipping’s heavy lift vessel Zhi Yuan Kou arrived at the Project ONE site in Antwerp with a cargo of first furnaces, representing an important step for the Port of Antwerp-Bruges and the European chemical sector.

The 195.2-meter-long semi-submersible vessel arrived in Antwerp after a long overseas voyage from Thailand.

British multinational conglomerate INEOS—one of the world’s largest chemical producers—received the module containing the first two furnaces destined for Project ONE’s new ethane cracker at the quay of the construction site in Lillo, Antwerp.

Specifically, the furnaces form the heart of the ethane cracker under construction: in the furnace section, ethane is converted to ethylene by bringing the ethane to a high temperature in the presence of steam.

Weighing as much as 6,000 tonnes, more than 32 meters wide and 60 meters high, this is said to be “one of the largest and most spectacular industrial ship transports ever” in the Port of Antwerp-Bruges. The monetary value of the module with 2 furnaces is also considerable: it amounts to as much as €150 million.

“The arrival of the first furnaces for Project ONE marks a crucial milestone for Port of Antwerp-Bruges and the European chemical sector. This project not only strengthens Antwerp’s role as a strategic hub, but also helps anchor a forward-looking and sustainable industry in Europe. This investment is necessary for the European economy and we are therefore proud to see this progress at the port and look forward to the further realization of this pioneering investment,” Jacques Vandermeiren, CEO Port of Antwerp Bruges, commented.

The remaining four furnaces are scheduled to be delivered in the first quarter of this year.

“The arrival of the first furnaces at the Antwerp site after a long overseas journey is a spectacular and joyous moment for everyone involved in the making of our project. It cannot be ignored: Project One is no longer a virtual project on paper, but is increasingly gaining a foothold in the port. It is hugely motivating to see a plant actually rise after all these years of preparation. A lot of work has been done in 2024, but by 2025 the centre of gravity of construction activity will be fully in Antwerp,” John McNally, CEO of INEOS Project ONE, highlighted.

Special Overseas Transport: From Sattahip to Antwerp

The overseas transit of the furnaces, which were manufactured in Thailand, is considered one of the most critical moments during the lifetime of the furnaces, which last around 50 years.

Because of the precarious situation in the Red Sea, the transport had to make a diversion via the Cape of Good Hope and was underway for a total of 55 days over a distance of 12,500 nautical miles.

To keep the cargo stable during overseas transport, it was reinforced with a steel framework and literally welded to the ship. The vessel will stay another couple of days at the quay wall for releasing and unloading the module with furnaces and pipe-racks.

The round-the-clock activity will be carried out by Flemish contractor Sarens, which is also in charge of the Self Propelled Modular Transporter (SPMF) transport and jacking to bring the components to the correct position for installation on site; a huge endeavor due to the enormous dimensions of the plant units.

The Modular Concept

Project ONE is also generating a lot of activity outside Antwerp. As many as 10,000 workers worldwide were mobilized for the construction of the new plant.

A large number of these were at work in the module yards in Thailand, Abu Dhabi, and the Philippines, a phase that is now gradually being completed. A total of 10 million man-hours were performed at the Thailand yard.

Modules like furnaces require specialized expertise both for their production and assembly. There are only a limited number of construction yards around the world that are adequately equipped and accessible to ocean-going vessels for this purpose.

Moreover, there is too little space at the construction site in Antwerp both for the storage of materials and the construction of these large-scale modules while civil and underground works are in full swing.

For this modular method of construction, INEOS relies on the extensive expertise of its technology partner Technip Energies.

With the arrival of the modules in Antwerp, the plant can be built like Lego bricks connected on-site.

Low-Carbon Furnaces

The INEOS cracker furnaces are equipped with ultra-low NOx burners and combustion air preheaters that ensure maximum reduction of NOx emissions and maximum energy efficiency. Because of the unique combination of features, the furnaces selected for Project ONE have ‘the lowest’ carbon footprint compared to all other similar alternatives, as per INEOS.

They are suitable for using fuel with a high hydrogen content. From the first day the ethane cracker is operational, INEOS will already be able to meet 60% of its heat demand with low-carbon hydrogen instead of natural gas.

Advanced technology, coupled with the reduced use of natural gas means the Project One cracker will have ½ the carbon footprint per tonne of product compared to the next best cracker in Europe. And the technology is already poised to switch to 100% hydrogen as soon as sufficient volumes of affordable climate-friendly hydrogen become available.

The Project

Project ONE is an investment by INEOS in the Antwerp chemical sector for the construction of an ethane cracker. The investment amounts to over four billion euros, making it the largest investment in European chemistry in more than 20 years.

The ethane cracker will provide the heat needed to convert ethane into ethylene, one of the most important building blocks in the chemical industry.

Ethylene is a fundamental raw material used in numerous applications such as sustainable energy solutions. It is also used in lightweight parts for cars and wind turbines, insulation materials for the construction industry, or pipes for transporting drinking water.

The end of 2026 is targeted as the start of operation. The foundation stone was laid on December 15, 2022.