Enterprise, Navigator Gas to Develop Ethylene Marine Export Terminal

Enterprise Products Partners LP (EPD) and Navigator Holdings Ltd (NVGS) announced the execution of a letter of intent to jointly develop an ethylene marine export terminal on the Houston Ship Channel.  

Enterprise would manage the construction, operations and commercial activities of the proposed terminal, which would be located at Enterprise's Morgan's Point complex. Navigator Gas has extensive experience with ethylene shipping through its fleet of 14 ethylene-capable vessels that provide a virtual pipeline to deliver ethylene to consuming customers.

The ethylene export terminal would be connected to Enterprise's high-capacity ethylene salt dome storage and ethylene pipeline system, which is currently under construction.  

Enterprise's ethylene storage facility will have approximately 600 million pounds of capacity with an injection/withdrawal rate of 210,000 pounds per hour expandable to 420,000 pounds per hour. Enterprise's ethylene pipeline system will be connected to multiple producers and consumers of ethylene on the US Gulf Coast.

"We are very pleased to work with Navigator Gas in efforts to commercialise an industry leading ethylene marine export terminal on the Houston Ship Channel with unsurpassed connectivity to ethylene producers and pipeline and storage infrastructure. The proposed ethylene export terminal would provide US petrochemical companies critical market diversification rather than be relying solely on polyethylene export markets," said AJ Jim Teague, CEO of the general partner of Enterprise.  

"A strategically located ethylene export terminal is the key to unlocking growing petrochemical production capacity in the US. We are proud to work with Enterprise, with their proven commercial and technical capabilities, on a project that promises to meet the needs of our customers and provides the seamless transportation of ethylene from the producer to the customer," added David Butters, CEO of Navigator Gas.